Extra Credit
by Chanel101
Summary: Aria Bautista is a Business Management major at the University of Texas and a stripper at night. She has survived her first year of college without anyone knowing what she does to make money. Will all of that change when she meets Mark Calaway who is not only an enemy of her famous father, but is also one of her professors in college? Can he help her change her ways?
1. Intro

**Introduction**

**Present Day**

I walked down the street in a hurry not believing I had just done something so crazy and yet…wonderful at the same time. My heels clicked under me as I approached my car, ready to head back to my apartment for the night. I sat in the driver's seat and fanned myself before getting my car started up…I needed to stop this. It couldn't continue…

**Two Months Ago**

My name is Aria Marie Bautista but my night time name was Aria Rose. I know what you're thinking…and you may be right. I was a smart girl with a bright future, but I worked in a strip club throughout college…I had big dreams of doing some type of business in my adult life so that's what I went to school for. College was going pretty well during my first semester until my father, Dave Bautista decided to act brand new. He was a big time body builder and made enough money to afford my college funding. I'll admit, he spoiled me rotten my entire life so I kind of expected him to pay. Then one day, he told me I was a grown woman and had to learn to take care of myself. He cut the funding for me to be in school, leaving me to fend for myself.

I was about to drop out, not really wanting to pay out of pocket for myself, when this guy approached me and my friends, Sami and Ally on the street. He told us that he was opening a new club where girls like us could make at least $500 a night by simply using what we had. At first I thought he meant becoming a prostitute but in fact he meant stripping. I was scared to do it at first, but after learning how to handle my liquor and work my body in heels, I was all set and ready.

I was walking out of that place every single night with $200 in tips and then another $300 from the boss. I got through my first year in that place without getting myself caught up in any drama or relationships. However…that all changed when I returned to school the following semester. It was the first day of my Algebra 4 class when I walked in and saw him for the first time….


	2. The New Professor

**The New Professor**

"Alright everybody please find a seat so we can start the class." He said. "My name is Professor Calaway. I will be teaching this class for the year."

I quickly found a seat sitting between Sami and Ally. He was a very attractive man standing almost 7ft tall with long black hair that he had pulled back into a slick ponytail. The light blue dress shirt and tie fit his muscular body in all the right places. On top of all that…he had the sexiest green eyes I had ever seen.

"Girl…who…is…that?" Ally asked as she sat up straight in her seat. "He's got to be a new teacher."

I glanced at her, "How would you know that?"

Sami chuckled and fixed her make-up, "She had this course last semester of course. Dr. Lang retired and they brought in this guy."

I tossed my hair behind my shoulder and crossed my legs. "Well he's definitely a good replacement. Looks like I'll be in class all semester."

We shared a giggle before he started his lecture.

"Alright first, let's go around the room so I can learn some names." He said as he climbed the steps to get to our row which was in the back. "Let's start with you three ladies."

I felt my heart skip a beat as he looked at each of our faces. Man he was so cute. I wondered what he was like outside of the classroom and if he was going to be a tough guy to deal with.

"Hi, I'm Sami Hickenbottom." She said with a smile.

He raised his eyebrow, "Hickenbottom? My best friend's last name is Hickenbottom."

She smiled, "Really? His name isn't Shawn is it?"

He smiled, "That would be it."

Sami sighed in annoyance, "Damn. My brother has friends all over the place."

I giggled as I remembered meeting her brother. He worked downtown at local bar that the three of us hung out at when we weren't working. He was just as funny as she was, with long dirty blonde hair and blue eyes.

"Yep, Shawn's been my friend for years…just ask him." He said before laying eyes on me. "And your name?"

"Aria Rose." I said. I hated giving people my last name because everyone would immediately link it with my father's name.

The professor looked down at his attendance sheet and chuckled, "Well it says here that an Aria _Bautista_ should be sitting in my class…are you sure that's not your name?"

I glared at him as people looked back at me with curious gazes. "Alright fine, that's my name. Rose is my middle name." I lied.

He smirked, "I thought so. You have your father's eyes and hair color Miss Bautista."

I dropped my gaze from him as he went to my friend Ally. "Is Ally your real name?"

She sighed, "Is that what the sheet says?"

"Ooooo," everyone in class said in unison.

He laughed it off and shook his head as he went down to the next row. "Well I guess I know who my problem student will be…after all she is sitting in the failure's row."

We all gasped together as the class laughed at his joke. I wanted to slap him in his mouth for such a rude comment but I held my peace. I was a straight A student so he could kiss my ass.

The entire time he spoke I noticed a few girls cracking smiles every time he looked in their direction. I wanted to tell them to relax since he was a professor and was married. I noticed the ring on his finger when he was asking us for our names. When class was over I headed out to the parking lot so I could grab some books from my car. As I was bent over in my trunk I heard a few whistles from behind me.

I stood up while rolling my eyes knowing it was my stalker, Alberto and his lackey Ricardo. He was this Mexican flunky who happened to have a ton of money. He saw me dancing once in the club and had been a regular customer ever since. Lately however…he'd been trying to get me to dance for him _privately_ for extra money. But us women all know that a private dance always turned into something more.

"Aria baby…how you doing?" he said through his strong accent.

I grabbed my science book, shut the trunk and turned around to face him. I leaned back against my car and crossed my right leg over my left. "I'm doing fine Alberto…"

"Si Si senorita…" Ricardo said as he stepped up next to Alberto. "You are looking rather fine today."

I rolled my eyes and went to walk away when Alberto reached out and grabbed my arm. "Hey wait a minute baby…I was wondering if you've thought about my offer? There's a lot of money involved…"

"Yes I have thought about it, and honestly I don't think I'm going to take it." I told him as I tried to walk away.

He laughed and pulled me back and held me roughly against his body. I looked into his eyes without a scratch of fear in my eyes waiting to sock him if I had to.

"Now you listen to me little peasant…either you give me my private dance sessions…or I'll call that father of yours, let him know what a bad girl you've been."

I gasped, "How do you know my dad?"

He shared a laugh with his buddy, "Who doesn't know who your dad is? And I've got the connections to make that phone call."

I dropped my gaze from him, "I'll think about it."

He gently backed me into the car with a smirk, "Oh you will alright…and I'll have an answer by Friday. Understand chica?"

I nodded before he let me go, walking away with an evil smirk on his face. When I went to head back inside I caught my new professor Mr. Calaway watching me from the window. I dropped my gaze and headed inside as if nothing ever happened.


	3. Hard Decision

**Hard Decision **

Later on that day, I met up with the girls and the three of us went shopping for new stripping outfits. While they took their time looking through skimpy dresses, I headed to the bathroom to clear my head. I sat my purse on the edge of the sink and stared into the mirror at myself. I didn't want to go through with Alberto's offer but truthfully the money I was making at the club wasn't enough. I needed to be able to fully take care of myself and right now, it was getting tough. I had new classes, new books to buy, new clothes, food, a car payment, and rent to pay for my apartment. The money I was currently making was enough to cover half of the payments…

"Hey girl, are you alright?" Sami asked when she came into the bathroom to check on me.

I sighed and picked up my purse, "Yeah I'm ok girl…just thinking about some things."

"Oh yeah? Like what?" she asked.

I wasn't sure if I should tell her but I did need to talk to someone about it. I leaned against the sink and looked down at my feet.

"You remember Alberto from the club right?" I asked.

She chuckled, "Oh you mean the rich Mexican that only spends his money on the infamous _Aria Rose_?"

I giggled and glanced at her, "Yeah that's the one…he wants me to do private dances for him to make extra money."

She raised her eyebrow like I knew she would, "Oh hell no girl. Alberto isn't fooling anyone with that one. I see the way he watches you when you dance. It's almost as if he's undressing you with his eyes."

I sighed, "Yeah I know what you mean but I do need the extra money. It would help out a lot with these damn bills."

"Yeah but at what cost? First he'll be asking for a dance, then it'll be dancing for his friends, then…it'll be more than just dancing. Have you thought about that at all?"

"Of course I have but times are hard and I've got to do what I've got to. Besides no one will mess with Dave Bautista's daughter." I said with a smile.

"Clearly he will." She said. "Look if you're going to do it you need to firmly explain to him that you'll only dance for him and him _only_. I don't want you getting caught up in any bullshit."

I laughed loving how she was like a big sister to me. In fact, she almost was since she did what she could to keep me safe, "Yeah I understand."

"Good. Now come on we've got to get some outfits." She said with a toss of her hair. "I think we should get our nails done while we're at it."

I nodded and followed her back out into the mall so we could finish shopping. We were out there for at least another hour before heading our separate ways. As soon as I got to my apartment I put my backpack in the living room and then took my new stuff into the bedroom. I had a little routine where I would go to school during the day, hang out with my friends for a little after, do some homework, take a nap, and then go to work. Sure there were times when I worked late and only got about 2 hours of sleep, but it was a small price to pay in order to make some type of a living.

While I was doing my homework I got a surprise call from my father. I was real shocked to even hear from him after the last time we spoke. It was the very day that he told me he was done spending money on me. I hadn't spoken to him since and it had been over a year.

"Hey sweetie how are you doing?" he asked.

I sighed, "I'm busy."

"Busy? You're never too busy to speak to your father." He said with a chuckle.

I rolled my eyes, "Is there a point to this call?"

"Aria don't tell me you're still mad at me for cutting you off." He asked.

"What do you think? I mean don't get me wrong I'm doing alright but I still think you're wrong for that." I spat.

He sighed heavily, "Look honey, you needed to learn how to be an independent woman. I didn't want you to grow up the way your mother did and this was the best way to do it. Trust me you'll thank me in the long run."

I sighed and sat back into the couch, "So how have you been?"

"Pretty good, in fact I was calling because I want to come visit you at some point." He said.

My eyes widened, "Really? How soon?"

He made a noise indicating he was giving it some thought, "I'm not too sure yet but I'll let you know."

"Well make sure you tell me ahead of time, I have a pretty busy schedule." I told him.

"Yeah I'm sure you do." He said. "I really miss you honey."

I couldn't fight back the smile that was forming on my face. I had always been a daddy's girl, and hearing him tell me things like that brightened my day.

"I miss you too." I told him.

"Alright well you get back to whatever you're doing." He said. "I'll talk to you later."

"Ok. Love you daddy,"

He chuckled, "I love you too."

After hanging up, I glanced at the clock and noticed that it was almost time for my nap. I quickly finished the Algebra homework Mr. Calaway assigned to us. I never understood why the man would assign homework on the first day but it was all good. I was a wiz with math so it didn't bother me too much.

With a sigh of relief I closed up my book and placed my homework in a folder before placing it in my bookbag. I then headed to my bedroom to take a nap before my long shift at work. I was supposed to work a 9 to 3am shift and I had a solo dance tonight. I smiled because that was normally the times when I made the most money especially from Alberto and his lackey.


	4. A Change In Friends

**A Change in Friends**

"Yeah baby work that shit!" a man yelled at Ally who was dancing for him. It was later on that night and I was standing backstage getting myself ready to do my solo. I decided to wear a sparkling red bikini with a lace over dress that I could pull off easily. I slipped into some clear pumps that were about 7 inches long giving me a taller look. I curled my hair and then ran my fingers through it a few times before putting on some make-up.

"Damn girl, there are some hounds out there." Ally said when she came back into the dressing room.

I giggled at her, "Yeah I figured. It's always like that on Thursdays."

She shook her head, "Is Sami coming in tonight?"

"I don't know, you know that girl only comes in when she feels like it." I said as I got up and walked towards the entrance to the backstage area.

"Are you nervous?" she asked. "You know I'll dance with you if you want."

I giggled, "I'll be ok girl. You know I got this."

"You sure do. Alberto is right out front."

I rolled my eyes, "Oh God…that man doesn't give up does he?"

"Not at all. Sami told me about the offer he made you." She said with a smirk.

"She did? Well what do you think about it?" I asked.

She chuckled, "I think you should take it. I mean what's wrong with making a little extra money on the side?"

I dropped my eyes to the floor. "Well Sami is worried about Alberto trying to do other things to me other than have me dance for him."

"Girl please don't listen to her. She's just mad because he didn't ask her to dance for him. I mean she's always been jealous of you."

I raised my eyebrows, "Really?"

"Heck yea. Why else do you think she's been trying to get you out of this business? She wants your customers and all the fame of being the best stripper." She told me as she counted her money.

"And has she said this?" I asked.

"Not necessarily but she's always talking about it."

I sighed wondering if Sami was truly jealous of me. I could see it being true but at the same time I wasn't certain. I looked up to Sami as a big sister so it was hard to believe she actually felt that way about me. Ally on the other hand had always been jealous of me and Sami's relationship. We both knew she hated that Sami and I were a lot closer than she was with us but we always made sure to show her a great amount of attention.

"Well I'll talk to you later, I'm up." I told her as the DJ announced me on.

"Coming to our center stage is one of the most beautiful women here in the Hot Katz Club. Her name is Aria Rose, and she's coming out to het one you lucky fellas to loosen up her buttons. Now don't be cheap ya'll the girl has bills to pay."

I giggled before he started the music. I walked out on stage nice and slow enchanting all the men with my gaze. I spotted Alberto watching me closely with Ricardo right next to him but I paid no attention to them. I began sliding out of my lace over dress making a few men toss some big bills on the stage. I bit my bottom lip and stepped out of my dress before grabbing the pole and wrapping one leg around it. I slid down it nice and slow. I saw Ricardo grab his own collar as if he needed air. I had to hold back the urge to roll my eyes at him as his buddy placed a few bills on the stage. I smiled and crawled over to it. A few men placed bills in my g-sting before I got up and did a few tricks on the pole. I had to admit, teasing these men for their money was real nice sometimes. It was a chance for me to express myself in a way I wasn't really use to but liked all the same.

By the end of my dance, I had made $345 and still had to go out there for table dances. It was a great night until I got so drunk I ended up having to let Ally drive me to my apartment. It was almost 4am when I got there so I kicked off my heels, threw my purse down on the couch and the headed to my bedroom. I fell face first on the bed and was out like a light.

The very next morning I stumbled out of bed and gasped when I realized I was an hour late for school. My business management class was going to start in almost ten minutes which was not good. I jumped up, brushed my hair into a ponytail, threw on some jeans, flip flops, and a white t-shirt before grabbing my backpack and purse. Quickly I ran out of my apartment and headed down to my car so I could get to school.

I ended up getting there about 15min into my class. I was real shocked when I walked in and saw Professor Calaway teaching the class. He was leaning against the desk holding up an attendance sheet when I walked in.

He glanced at me with a stern look before shaking his head, "Nice of you to join us Miss. Bautista. It's not a real good look to be late for your first day of business class."

I sighed, "I know I'm sorry sir."

He nodded, "It's fine, please have a seat."

I rubbed my eyes and went to walk up the steps when he cleared his throat. I looked over my shoulder at him and saw him pointing at a seat right in front of him.

"Seriously?" I asked in disbelief.

He chuckled, "Any student who walks into my class late gives up their right to pick their seat…so have a seat right here Miss. Bautista."

I rolled my eyes and walked down to the front row seat. I couldn't believe he was actually trying to embarrass me like this when I was already embarrassed from being late. I could see that he and I were not going to get along at all…

After class I was heading out of the building to get to my next class when I ran dead smack into Alberto. I sighed and tried to go around him but he grabbed my arm and slammed me against the wall.

"You did a real nice job last night pedro…now I want my answer." He said.

I rolled my eyes, "Look…you can tell my father all you want to tell him but I'm not taking you up on that offer."

He laughed deeply and then back handed me in the face. I dropped my books and held my face as he gripped the front of my shirt.

"No one says no to me! No one!" he yelled.

I smirked, "Well I just did!"

He went to hit me again but his hand was caught by a much bigger one. I looked behind him and saw Professor Calaway holding his wrist and squeezing it.

"Get lost punk, or I'll make sure your ass is expelled for battering a woman." He said firmly before shoving Alberto to the ground.

Alberto then got up and made a run for it, looking back at him every now and then. I bent down and picked up my books while he looked at me.

"Are you alright?" he asked.

I nodded, "Yeah I'm ok…thanks for the help."

"No problem but I really think you should tell the school counselor or something. It's not good to have a man hitting on you like that." He said.

"Well he's not my boyfriend or anything and that's the first time it's happened." I told him while looking down.

"Oh…well if you ever need someone to talk to about it let me know." He said. "I don't want to see that happen to you again. Got it?"

I nodded, "Got it, but don't worry about me. I'm a strong woman."

Without another word I pressed my books against my chest and walked away. I didn't look back but I knew he was watching me. I went to the bathroom to check my face before heading to Algebra. Lucky for me there was no mark on my face so I didn't need to do any explaining to the girls. One thing was for sure, I wasn't going to take Alberto's offer no matter how good it seemed.

For several weeks after that I continued my little routine but I was getting under Professor Calaway's skin. I was on time for his classes but I was now falling asleep during his lectures. I didn't see what the big deal was when I was passing his class anyways. As far as I was concerned as long as I was passing falling asleep shouldn't affect me at all. He was nice about it at first but soon it became an everyday thing…

"Miss. Bautista, can I ask you exactly why it's so hard for you to keep your eyes open?" he asked me at the end of class one day.

I told Ally and Sami that I would meet them in the hall before walking up to his desk. "Can I ask you why it's your business?"

He chuckled, "It's my business because this is my classroom and I refuse to let a smart woman like you sleep through all of the lectures."

"I'm not sleeping I'm just resting my eyes sir. Besides I hear everything you're saying even though my eyes aren't open." I told him as I folded my arms.

He shook his head, "How do I know that?"

"Ask me anything you taught today." I said.

"Ok…what does it mean when you have a number like 35 to the 5th power?" he asked with his arms folded.

I smirked, "It simply means that you're taking 35 and multiplying it by itself 5 times…can I go now?"

He smirked, "As long as you promise not to "rest your eyes" in my class anymore."

"I can't promise that. My job requires me to be up late into the night."

He raised his eyebrows, "Are you a bartender?"

"Again not your business….can I leave?" I asked.

He nodded, "Yeah just try to get some more rest."

I rolled my eyes and left his classroom feeling ready to punch him in the head. The man had no idea what I did to make money and yet here he was mad at the world because I close my eyes for a few minutes at a time. I joined the girls in the hallway and the three of us headed outside to the parking lot to our cars. I told them about my encounter with our professor and surprisingly Sami agreed with him.

"Girl he's right you need to sleep." She said. "Maybe working these late hours isn't a good idea."

I sighed, "If I don't work them I could end up broke and I really don't need that."

She shook her head before Ally spoke up. "I'm about to quit myself,"

"Huh? Why?" We asked.

She shrugged, "Well…Alberto offered me the same thing he offered you and I agreed to take it."

I gasped, "What! Ally no don't do that!"

"Aria's right Ally, you could get into serious trouble." Sami said.

Ally narrowed her eyes at us, "No I won't…besides I have a right to take the things you two don't want so…don't be haters."

"Haters? Ally what's gotten into you?" I asked.

She rolled her eyes, "I'm just tired of the same routine with you two. You both make more money than I do and get the better hours. Well now it's my turn to get a few things handed to me and you two should support me."

Sami's mouth fell open, "Are you freaking insane?"

"No, I'm a realist and it's obvious that you two are jealous of me."

I raised my eyebrows and folded my arms, "Says the girl who claimed that Sami was jealous of me,"

Sami gasped, "She said that to you?"

"I sure did…you two act like your shit doesn't stink and it's annoying. So I thought maybe I should turn you against each other." She said.

"Well it didn't work…" I said. "Lose my number."

"Gladly." She said as she pulled out her cell phone and deleted our numbers. "We're finished here…see ya."

Sami and I watched her turn on her heels and leave. I shook my head in disbelief, "Bitch."

"Tell me about it." Sami said. "Come on let's go to your apartment so we can start this math homework."

I nodded and headed towards my car with my real friend close behind.


	5. Unexpected Customer

**Unexpected Customer**

"I can't believe she really acted like that." I told Sami as I gently applied lip gloss over my ruby red lipstick. "I mean were we really that bad?"

Sami shook her head as she combed out her hair extensions. "No that bitch is just a hater because we're the prettiest of the bunch and we make the most money because of it."

I chuckled, "I guess you're right. And to think, she tried to convince me that you were jealous of me."

She smiled for a moment and then frowned, "Actually Aria…I am a little jealous of you."

I blinked at her in the mirror and then looked over my shoulder at her, "What? Why?"

With a sigh she picked up her flat iron and started running it through her extensions, "Well…you've got everything you could want. You're pretty, smart, funny, and you have a great life."

I smiled, "Well thanks for that, but my life isn't as great as you think."

"What do you mean?" she asked.

I dropped my gaze and turned completely around in my chair to face her. "My father spoiled me my entire life…but when I got out here he completely cut me off."

She gasped, "How could he do that?"

I shrugged, "I was upset at first, but you know what…this entire experience has made me turn from a spoiled princess…" I looked into the mirror at my mature appearance. "…to a grown woman."

She nodded. "I can't wait for us to graduate college in two years. We won't have to work in a terrible place like this."

A bright smile formed on my face thinking about the day I would finally be able to leave this job. I damn sure didn't want my father to discover that I worked as a stripper, but if word got out that he was my father…it would be front page news.

"It will be great…but for now, we've got a show to do." I told her as I stood up in my new silver bikini that shimmered in the light. Sami had a matching one on only hers was gold. When she finished putting in her extensions, we walked out to the bar to start our shift. We did a dance together on stage in which we sang and entertained the fine gentlemen. After that we went our separate ways at different points of the bar. I actually got to work the private room that night and was doing a great job racking up money…when an unexpected customer came in.

I was behind the curtain fixing up my face for the next dance. I waited for the person to enter the room and sit down on the couch. I poured myself a shot of Grey Goose and chugged it before fixing my bikini and checking myself out in the full body mirror. The door opened to the room and then shut quietly.

"Come on man, do I really need to be blind folded?" I heard the customer say.

"Yeah man, it's all part of the fantasy." My boss told him. "Besides…in here, my girls can do things your wife won't do."

The customer sighed, "Alright, just sit me down somewhere."

I listened as the guy was walked to the couch and sat down. My boss picked out a CD and then placed it in the CD player. Before the music started my boss laughed and said, "Don't worry sir, this girl is one of my best…she'll take good care of you."

When the music started I smiled and faced the back of the room, as the curtain opened behind me. I looked over my shoulder at him with a smirk and saw that he was indeed blind folded…but something about him seemed familiar. I didn't know many biker guys but he was definitely dressed like one. He wore a red bandana over his long black hair that flowed down his back. A black leather vest graced his upper torso, showing off just a little of his chest and a silver chain around his neck. Dark blue jeans and black boots completed his look along with a strong cologne that kind of got my blood flowing.

I walked up to him and gently straddled his lap. His strong hands rested on my small waist as my arms wrapped gently around his neck. I smirked and bent my head close to the side of his head. I licked his ear lobe and then gently blew on it, making his body tense up.

"What's your fantasy?" I whispered into his ear.

He rubbed my small waist and moved down to my thighs, "Well…what are you willing to do?"

I laughed softly and tossed my hair over my shoulder, "Anything you're willing to pay for…although I'm not a prostitute…"

He licked his lips, "Interesting…you're a smart girl. Why do you work in a place like this?"

I wasn't certain why, but his voice sounded real familiar. I bit my bottom lip, "I don't have a choice…the money is quick, easy, and I need to get through school."

"Hm…ok. Well I want to see you dance if that's alright." He said.

I smiled and got up from his lap. "Alright…take off the blind fold."

I turned around and started untying my top. I slipped it from my body and tossed it to the corner of the room. With a smile I covered my breasts with my arms and was about to turn around when the man gently wrapped his arms around my waist. I gasped as first until he whispered in my ear.

"On second thought…why don't you let _me_ to all the work? I love to be in control." He said huskily before moving my curly hair behind my ear.

I smirked and was about to protest but his soft lips gently kissed my bare shoulder and worked their way up to the crook of my neck. I shivered and leaned my head over to my other shoulder while his hands moved up under my arms and firmly grasped my breasts.

"Your skin is so soft…" he said. "…how long do I have in this room with you?"

I laughed through a moan as he massaged my breasts, "All night if you're willing to pay for it."

He smiled and moved his hands back down to my waist. I tilted my head back up as he gently turned me around to face him. The minute I locked eyes with him, I was aware of who he was…

"Professor Calaway?" I said as my eyes widened in horror.

He blinked several times at me, "Aria?"

I backed away from him while crossing my arms over my chest. "Oh shit…I've got to go."

"No Aria wait!" he said but I was already on my way out of the room. I couldn't believe he actually came to my job and was touching me in that way without us knowing who the other was. I ran to the dressing room and quickly got dressed before going to my boss's office to let him know I was leaving for the night. Soon after, I left the club but not before I told Sami I would be leaving.

I walked down the street in a hurry not believing I had just done something so crazy and yet…wonderful at the same time. My heels clicked under me as I approached my car, ready to head back to my apartment for the night. I sat in the driver's seat and fanned myself before getting my car started up…I needed to stop this. It couldn't continue…especially now that my own professor knew what I did for a living.


	6. The Good Friend

**Readers: **Sorry if the last chapter disappointed you but stick around you'll love the suspense =)

**The Good Friend**

I had absolutely no idea what to do after that night. My stomach was in knots when I woke up that next morning to get ready for school. Professor Calaway's class was first today and all I could do was pace back and forth around my apartment. There was no way I could show my face after what happened. He probably thought I was a real whore and didn't deserve to become anything good. I finally decided that avoiding him was my best option. Sure I couldn't miss too many classes but what choice did I have?

I sat down at my computer desk and wrote Professor Calaway an email stating that I wouldn't be in class that day because I had come down with the flu. He wrote back saying, "Ok that's fine. I'll e-mail you the homework."

I let out a sigh of relief and headed back to bed for another hour. After that, I got up and crept onto campus so I could attend my other classes.

"Girl where have you been all day?" Sami asked when I walked into General Arts class.

I sighed and took a seat on a stool across from her. "Oh…I wasn't feeling that great so-"

"-What? Aria come on you know I know you better than that so…what's going on with you?" she asked.

I sighed and looked around the room for a moment. I then bent forward to tell her what happened the night before. She ended up covering her mouth in shock after I told her about it.

"Oh my goodness Aria…no wonder you weren't in class." She said. "Have you seen him at all?"

I shook my head, "No. I mean I can't show my face in front of him again. It'll be too weird."

She sighed, "Well if you ask me, I think he probably feels worse than you do. I mean the man has a wife and the minute he tries to go have some fun, he ends up feeling all over his student."

I glared at her, "Thanks for reliving that for me."

"Oh I'm sorry girl. I'm just shocked that's all."

I ran my hand through my hair and sighed, "I don't know what to do. I was hoping that no one from this school besides Alberto would know I worked there…now he knows…"

She looked at me with concern in her eyes and then smiled. "You know what, we're going out today just me and you."

I shook my head, "Thanks but I'd rather not get caught lying about my sickness."

She chuckled, "Uh hello, you're already risking it by being here in class."

I sighed and rubbed the back of my neck as the rest of the students took their seats.

"Besides, I refuse to let my best friend be upset like this. You need to smile." She said.

"I don't know Sami…"

"Look, wear some sweatpants, pull your hair up into a messy bun, and pretend to be sick. If he spots us I'll just tell him that we're getting you some soup." She said.

I smiled, "Thanks Sami, you're a great friend."

"Only the best," she said with a delightful smile.

I giggled and turned my attention to the Professor who had just walked in. The entire time I was in class all I could think about was that night I ran into Professor Calaway. My chest tingled from the memory of his warm hands touching my breasts. I shifted in my seat and tried to focus on the task that was being assigned but those thoughts clouded my mind. The deep baritone of his voice, the smell of the cologne, and the touch of his hands on my body was a lot to handle.

I raised my hand and asked the Professor if I could be excused. She gladly nodded and I wasted no time heading to the bathroom. I stood in front of the sink and splashed water in my face. I then dried it off with a paper towel and took a few deep breaths. I was praying that this wouldn't happen to me but it did. Now I knew for sure that I couldn't see this man.

As promised, Sami took me out after class for a nice relaxing day. We headed down to the spa to get full body massages, facials, and mud baths. It was definitely what I needed to take a load off. After going there, we headed to a Chinese restaurant for some food and then headed back to my apartment. We ate our food while helping each other with the homework assigned to us.

"So are you going to show up to school tomorrow?" she asked.

I sighed, "I don't know. Personally I think avoiding him is my best bet at this point."

"Yeah but if you keep skipping class he'll eventually catch on and you can fail. I don't want to see that happen to you."

I glanced at her with a smile, "I guess I'll have to switch majors…"

She shook her head, "Now that's extreme measures."

"Yeah true. I'll think of something but coming to class isn't an option right now." I said before writing down an answer to a question.

She sighed and decided to drop the subject which was good for me since I really didn't want to talk about it. I knew she was just trying to help but there wasn't anything she could do to change my mind about this. As far as I was concerned, Professor Calaway thought differently of me and it wasn't what I wanted him to see.


	7. New Chance

**New Chance**

I spent the next few days skipping Professor Calaway's class. I'll admit it was killing my grades not being present in class but it wasn't enough to fail me just yet. I was doing all of my homework and sending it to class with Sami while going to my other classes. I never thought I'd run into him at that point and I didn't for nearly a week.

"Come on girl let's go make that money," Sami said when we were done getting ready to work. We had another duet to do and according to our boss we had some real exclusive men out there who had plenty of money.

I fixed my hair and adjusted my make-up before getting up to go out on stage. I was actually having a great time dancing that night. Sami and I were racking up our money like a kid racks up his candy on Halloween. Unfortunately things didn't stay peachy that entire night…About an hour before my shift ended, my boss made an announcement that we had a few celebrities in the building. I didn't bother listening too much since I was busy entertaining a customer. The moment he mentioned Shawn Michaels and Bryan Bautista, Sami and I both froze. Bryan, my uncle, had always been the nicer of the two brothers. He always treated me like a princess although I was his niece and not his daughter but that never stopped him from telling on me any chance he got.

I sat my bottle of Hypnotic down and told the customer I was talking to that I had to go. He tried to hold me in place so he could finish the song with me, but I yanked my arm from him and turned to head to the dressing room. I saw Sami heading in my direction in a quick pace. I looked around and met up with her before trying to hurry backstage. Unfortunately, we ran dead smack into Shawn and Bryan who looked more shocked to see us standing there that we were.

"Sami?" Shawn said as he sat his beer down on the table. She folded her arms over her chest and dropped her gaze from him.

I did the same as the painful stare of my uncle burned a hole right through me.

"Aria…what the hell are you two doing in here?" Bryan asked.

We glanced at each other and then sighed.

"Can we go get dressed…we'll meet you outside." Sami said.

Shawn took a deep breath, "Yeah hurry up."

We casted a glance at each other before heading back to the dressing room to get changed. Neither of us said a word to each other since we knew what they were going to say. We hooked each other's arm and headed outside where Shawn and Bryan were. We ended up separating since Shawn was parked on one side of the parking lot and my uncle was parked closer to the club.

"Call me later," I told her.

She nodded and squeezed my hand before walking across the parking lot to join her very angry brother. As for me, I folded my arms and headed towards my uncle's car. He was facing his car, smoking a cigarette and shaking his head in disappointment. When I got close enough he dropped his cigarette and then turned around and smacked me in the face.

"Are you out of your damn mind Aria!" he yelled. "What the hell are you doing working in a place like this! Your father would be having a damn fit right now."

Tears fell from my eyes as I held my face. "I didn't have a choice Bryan."

"Sure you did Aria!" he screamed. "You always have a choice in what you do,"

I shook my head and wiped my nose. "Not when your own father cuts you off from getting any more money from him!"

He sighed and shook his head, "So you came here to work? Why? Did you want to get back at him for actually making you strike out on your own for once?"

"No!" I shrieked. "The money I make here is enough to get me through life right now. I don't know where else I can make this type of money. Besides it's not like I'm a prostitute."

"Might as well be one!" he snapped as he took a step towards me. "Aria, you're a smart woman. Your father didn't send you out here to make stupid decisions like this."

I rolled my eyes, "What he doesn't know won't hurt him."

His eyes widened, "Oh so he doesn't know about this?"

"No. Why would I tell him?" I said smartly. "I'm a grown ass woman!"

He chuckled, "Looks like I need to make a phone call then."

I gritted my teeth together and then raked my hand through my hair. "Fine…tell him."

He looked at me with a smirk, "Aria you don't want me to do that I know it."

"You tell him everything else anyway!" I screamed as I turned around to head back inside.

"Aria, don't walk away from me like that!" he yelled as he followed me. "Bring your ass over here now!"

I stopped walking and turned around to face him. "What?"

"Look….if you get yourself a different job within the week, I won't tell your father about this job." He said.

I shook my head, "Where else could I go?"

"I don't care where you go Aria…as long as it doesn't involve exploiting yourself for money. No man deserves to look at you like that unless he's your husband."

I rolled my eyes, "Alright Uncle Bryan…I'll try but I can't make any promises."

"Well you're going to promise me this. No niece of mine is going to promote herself and represent her father as a whore!"

I stared at him as he turned around and got in his car. I watched him pull off before sighing and heading back inside to grab my purse. Once I got it, I headed out of the club to go to my car. One my way there, I noticed a tall man get out of his car from the corner of my eye. I kept walking until he yelled, "So…feeling better I see?"

I stopped walking and raked my hand through my hair as he shut his door and approached me. When he got close enough, I turned and faced him.

"Can I help you Professor?" I asked sarcastically.

He shook his head, "No but I can help you if you knew how to come to class."

"I told you I haven't been feeling too well." I said.

He nodded, "Well actually I'm a little jealous…you see good old Professor Calaway has been doing some research of his own."

"Oh you have?" I asked.

"Yes ma'am…and it turns out that you were able to make all of your other classes…every single day." He said as he folded his arms over his chest.

I dropped my gaze with a sigh. "Yeah about that…"

"No need to explain Aria. I understand how you're feeling and I'm sorry if I made you feel that way." He said. "I know you must hate working here."

"I do, but at the same time the money I make is pretty worth it." I said.

He looked at me with the softest gaze I had ever seen on a man. For someone who looked like he could break anyone in half, he seemed like a giant teddy bear at that moment.

"Aria, there are other jobs out there that would work out better for your life. Besides I don't want to see you failing in school. You'd make a great business woman someday."

I sighed, "You don't get it Professor. I take care of myself completely. I wouldn't work here if I had my father's help."

"That may be true but I promise you that you can work somewhere that'll make all your troubles go away."

"Oh yeah?" I asked in disbelief. "And what job is that?"

He fell silent for a moment and then smirked. "Come work for me."

I raised my eyebrow, "Excuse me? Sorry but being the teacher's assistant isn't what I had in mind."

He laughed, "No, no, no, I meant…be my assistant at my biker shop."

I blinked several times, "Me? Work in a biker shop?"

"Yes. It'll give you the experience of running a shop and learning the things you need to learn for business. Besides with your grades slipping I think you'll need the extra credit."

I sighed and glanced towards the club, "How much will I be making?"

He gave it some thought for a moment, "We'll discuss that later, just meet me after class tomorrow and we'll talk."

"Tomorrow…after class." I repeated.

He nodded and then turned around to head back to his car. I wanted to stop him and tell him thank you for the opportunity, but I couldn't get the words out. I finally released a deep breath and headed to my car so I could go home.


	8. Heartbroken

**Heartbroken **

The very next day, I got up bright and early so I could get ready for school. Since it was nice outside, I picked out a pretty layered flower skirt that was mostly white with red flowers all over it. For my top, I wore a black tube top with a blue jean half jacket to go over it. I straightened my hair, put on some make-up and then slid on my flip flops before heading out the door. I had to be honest; it felt real nice being able to go back to class. Still, I felt real embarrassed about Professor Calaway finding out about my job the way he did. I wondered if those memories clouded his mind the way they clouded mine.

When I got to school I met up with Sami who was standing with her brother… I walked up to them slowly and noticed a saddened look on Sami's face.

"Hey guys…" I said.

Sami looked at Shawn who gave a slight nod. She then turned back to me and a tear fell from her eye.

"Aria…I'm transferring to another school." She said.

My eyes widened, "You…you are?"

She nodded, "Yeah…Shawn thinks it'll be better if I start somewhere fresh."

I nodded without looking at Shawn. "Oh…well make sure you call or write."

She glanced at Shawn who stepped up to me, "She won't be writing or calling actually. I think it's best if you two stay away from each other."

"But why? I didn't make her go to that place with me." I snapped.

"That doesn't matter Aria. You've always been a bad influence on my sister and as her guardian, I feel that it's best if she moved somewhere where civilized people are."

I gasped, "How dare you say that about me! I haven't influenced her to do anything she didn't want to do herself."

"It's true Shawn," Sami said. "Anything I've ever gotten in trouble for I did on my own. If anyone did any influencing it was me."

He shook his head, "I don't want to hear a word you have to say Sami. Whether you like it or not, you're leaving this place and you're not speaking to this wench ever again!"

"Don't call her that!" she snapped.

I shook my head as tears filled my eyes, "No…it's ok Sami. It's not the worst thing I've been called."

"Yeah I'm sure it's not." Shawn snapped. "You're nothing but a spoiled brat whose daddy should have kicked your ass a long time ago. You've always thought you were better than everyone simply because your father is an accomplished MMA fighter. But don't get it twisted sweetness, just because he could kick someone's ass, doesn't mean you won't get dealt with! Now heed my warning and stay away from my sister!"

Without another word I headed into the building walking away from my best friend forever. I held back my tears as well as I could throughout the day. However, when I got to Professor Calaway's class, I looked at the seat next to me and realized that I would never see my best friend again. I was all alone to deal with the ways of adulthood.

"Alright class, I need pages 428-430 done for class on Monday. Your mid-terms are coming up soon so keep up the good work." Professor Calaway said as he ended his lecture for the day.

Students around me got up and headed for the door while I slowly put my stuff away. I was just putting my book for class away when I started breaking down. My eyes landed on Sami's seat for a moment and the tears fell from my eyes. I tried wiping them away before he could see me but of course that didn't happen. He had just turned around from wiping off the board when he saw me.

I looked back at him for a second before resting my head on the desk and wrapping my arms around my head. I tried not to cry so hard but my sobs were filling the entire room at that point. I heard him zip up his bag and then walk up to my row. He placed his hand on my back and took a seat next to me. After a few minutes my tears subsided for a moment and I was able to pick myself up from the desk. He handed me a tissue and watched me wipe my eyes before asking, "Are you ok?"

I nodded even though my heart was shattered into one million pieces. Sami was the only friend I had in this place and now she was being taken away. I didn't know how to deal with stuff like that. My mother died when I was young so I never had the chance to truly get to know her.

"Do you need someone to talk to?" he asked.

I sighed, "If I talk about it I'll just cry again."

"Alright, well let's go so we can discuss your new job." He said.

I nodded and grabbed my purse and book bag. He led me through the campus until we reached an open area full of freshly cut grass. I sat down on the bench that was underneath a big oak tree. He sat down next to me and then let his hair out of the ponytail.

"Come here often?" I asked him.

He nodded, "Yeah, mostly to grade papers after class."

I nodded and dropped my gaze from him, "It's nice out here. I wish I knew about this place before…"

He smiled, "Well I kind of kept it a secret. It's nice to have a place you can escape to every once and awhile."

"True…so what am I going to be doing in this job?" I asked.

He looked out at the open field and then glanced at me. "My shop isn't just for bike repairs. I have a tattoo section and a clothing section. You'll come in Monday through Friday after school, and work until about 9. I need a receptionist and someone who can handle the clothing too."

I dropped my gaze wondering how I was going to manage that. He looked at me with a curious gaze and said, "It's all part of your extra credit. Besides, to be in business management you'll have to learn to multi-task."

I sighed, "Do you have to read my mind?"

He laughed, "It's another skill you'll pick up working in this field. It'll teach you to constantly anticipate your customer's way of thinking."

"Sounds nice. I hope I develop that skill." I said.

"Oh you will Miss. Bautista. Your father has that skill." He said.

I raised my eyebrow. "You speak as if you know him."

He smirked, "I do know him…in fact, I use to be your mother's best friend."

I turned myself towards him, "Really? No way!"

"Yes. Arica and I were pretty close before she married your father. I was actually with her when she got pregnant at 15."

I covered my mouth, "What!"

He laughed, "Yea, her and Dave were pretty ambitious in high school. Whatever happened to your mom? I never saw her again after our senior year."

I dropped my eyes, "…she passed away."

He face fell still. "Damn…"

"You didn't know?" I asked.

"Well no…your father wasn't too fond of me being around so after high school I left for college." He said as he rubbed his forehead, "Man, I'm so sorry about that Aria."

"It's fine. I don't really remember much about her so…it was easy to get over." I said.

He nodded, "Well I'll see you on Monday for the first day."

"Wait, where is the shop?" I asked.

"It's downtown in front of that pizza shop you and your friends like to go to." He said.

I laughed, "Wow, have you been stalking me?"

"No. But I have seen you ladies down there often." He said.

I smiled and picked up my backpack, "Alright well I'll see you on Monday, Professor."

"Sounds good…oh and Aria?"

I looked over my shoulder at him as the wind blew though my hair. He cracked a smile and said, "After school, just call me Mark. It's pretty weird being called Professor after school hours."

I giggled, "Ok…Mark."

He smiled as I turned around and headed for the parking lot. I wasn't certain how to feel knowing that my college Professor knew my mom at one point. But thinking about it made me feel a lot better knowing that we had something to relate to. When I got back to my apartment, I cleaned up a little bit and then called my boss down at the Club to quit. It sort of felt nice leaving that place…but it sucked that working there cost me my best friend.


	9. Moving On With Life

**Moving On With Life**

The next day I got up and made some breakfast for myself while listening to a morning talk show. I kept thinking about Sami and how much I already seemed to miss her. Shawn was a dick for what he said, but in some ways I didn't blame him for making Sami leave. Although this was a good college, there were a lot of things here that pulled us away from making the right choices. The only reason I chose to keep out of the drama, was because I knew that my father wouldn't have any of it. He'd kick my ass through the telephone if he had to and that was dead certain.

After fixing a plate of food, I headed to my living room to relax for a while. I had just sat down on the couch when there was a knock at my door. I sighed heavily wondering who it could be before sitting my plate on the coffee table and heading to the door. I peeked through the little peephole to get a glimpse of my visitor and saw my uncle Bryan standing there. I sighed in annoyance and opened the door.

"Hey," he said.

I leaned in the doorframe with my arms folded and a disgusted look on my face. "What are you doing here?"

He sighed, "I just wanted to talk to you."

I nodded slowly, "Oh…so you didn't come in here to tell me what a screw up I am or how I've shamed the family by taking off my clothes for some money?"

"Aria please, I know I came at you the wrong way that night and I'm sorry. I was just shocked as hell to see you in there."

I moved away from the door frame, "Yeah, well thanks to your appearance, things have changed in my life that really suck, so congrats!"

He sighed, "Look honey, will you just let me in so we can talk? I won't be long I swear."

I gave it some thought for a moment and then stepped away from the door. He followed me inside making sure to close my door behind him. I sat down on the couch while he sat in a chair near me. I picked up my plate from the table and waited for him to start talking.

"Look, your dad is coming to see you next week for your 20th birthday. I didn't want him to come into town and see you dancing on a pole half naked."

I sighed heavily, "He wouldn't have seen anything because my father wouldn't have taken me to the club. I was technically too young to be there anyway."

"True but what if he would have been tipped off from someone in town about you?" he asked. "I'm sure a lot people here know your last name."

"Actually they do but they don't all know I worked there." I snapped.

He raised his eyebrow, "_Worked _there?"

I nodded, "Yeah, I start a new job on Monday….happy?"

"Yes but where?" he asked, toning his voice down.

"Is it really necessary for you to know?" I snapped.

He nodded, "Yes it is Aria. I want to make sure your father won't have a fit."

I rolled my eyes. "It doesn't involve me stripping so chill."

He sighed, "I keep forgetting how stubborn you can be sometimes. You remind me of your mother."

"Yeah well you remind me of your brother." I said as I changed the channel. "I'll be working downtown as a receptionist and a clothing manager at my Professor's shop. Good enough?"

He gave it some thought, "It's a hell of an improvement but I really hope you aren't talking about Mark Calaway's shop."

I rolled my eyes, "Yes I am."

"Oh no…hell no. You can't work there Aria." He said.

I chuckled, "Sorry I already told him yes."

"But Aria, he and your father have some history that I think you should know about." He said.

"Whatever my father and Mark had in the past has nothing to do with me so stop wasting my time." I said as I took a bite of my pancakes.

He gritted his teeth together, "Aria listen-"

"No Bryan. If you want me to leave this job, I'll go back to stripping…not joking."

He stopped talking and sat back in his seat. "Fine. But when your dad finds out don't be mad at me when he makes you quit."

I rolled my eyes at him, "Are you done? I have things to do today and talking to you isn't one of those activities."

He glanced at me and then shook his head. "So damn stubborn…alright Aria I'll leave you be but don't say I didn't warn you."

I glared at him as he got up and left my apartment. Man he had a way of really pissing me off but no matter. I wasn't going to leave my new job even if my life depended on it.

For the rest of the weekend I spent my time doing homework and picking out some clothes I could possibly wear to work. I wasn't sure what the dress requirements were for the job but something told me that it was casual. I found myself walking into class Monday morning wearing a hot pink sweater dress that fell off the shoulder and some cute black boots with a stiletto heel. I put on some silver hoop earrings and curled my hair before applying the light pink eye shadow with a little eyeliner on my top lid. I got a couple of nice comments from the students along with a blank stare from the Professor himself. I couldn't tell if he was impressed or simply flabbergasted by the beauty.

What seemed to really get him was when I decided to take a seat in the very desk he placed me in when I was late. He smirked a little before asking us to take out the homework he assigned on Friday. I dug mine out quickly and looked over it before he started walking around to check it.

"Miss Bautista, I'm surprised to see you sitting up front today." He said as he picked up my homework paper.

I sighed, "Well I didn't really understand some of the homework so I figured sitting closer would help out."

He looked over my homework for a moment and then nodded, "Yeah I see what you mean, we'll talk later ok?"

I nodded as he handed me back my paper and let me see all the ones he circled. To my surprise there was only three I had wrong out of the 50 questions he assigned. I smiled to myself and waited as he finished going around the room to check papers. When he was done we all went over the homework so we could figure out everyone's mistakes. I felt so different in class that day, more because I didn't have Sami or the annoying Ally to distract me. I also felt a little stronger than I was a few days ago. Could it be that I was tired of being told what to do?

When class was over Professor Calaway or Mark I should say pulled me to the side to talk for a moment. At first I thought he was going to tell me to change my outfit for work but he simply complimented me.

"You're looking a lot better today Miss. Bautista." He said. "Are you feeling better?"

I nodded, "For the most part."

He nodded and closed his briefcase. "Was this your last class for today?"

"Actually it's my only class on Mondays." I responded.

"Alright, then I need you at the shop by 3 o'clock this afternoon. Ok?" he asked.

"Ok…Mark." I said.

He smiled and watched me leave his classroom. I wasn't sure at first but something about his tone seemed to change since Friday. He was more relaxed around me and almost seemed fixated on me most of the class. I'm not going to lie he is a fascinating man to look at and I loved the attention, but I knew that trying to push the envelope further would only cause problems. For one he was married and she was probably a good one. Two, I was about to be 20 and he had to at least be in his late 30s. On top of all of that, my father despised him and that was the end of it.


	10. First Day On The Job

**First Day On The Job**

I decided to go grab some lunch before I headed over to the shop. I went to the pizza place directly across from it and ordered a slice of pepperoni pizza and a large drink. While I was sitting down eating and studying for the Algebra Mid-term, I glanced out the window and saw Mark ride up to the front of his shop on the most beautiful red motorcycle I had ever seen. On the back of it was this light brown haired woman who had a huge chest and a skinny waist. Her arms were wrapped tight around Mark's waist as he rode them into the garage. I assumed she had to be his wife and like I said before she was a good one.

As for Mark, he was dressed differently too, wearing some blue jeans, black boots, a plaid button up vest with no sleeves and his hair pulled back into a ponytail. He was wearing sunglasses too with a red bandana tied on his head. I unconsciously licked my lips thinking about the night he touched my breasts with those warm hands…I knew it was wrong to think about but who wouldn't at this point?

I also noticed that his hair was showing hints of light red throughout it. I hoped I could see it all red someday or even run my fingers through it. Oh God what was I saying!

I finished my food and then packed up my stuff before heading across the street to the shop. I looked in through the large plate glass window and saw a few guys getting the place ready for another day of work. One of them was about my height with shoulder length blonde hair and blue eyes. He was the shortest of the bunch but seemed to crack the most jokes. I then saw another guy who was just as tall as Mark and happened to be wearing a strange mask that only left out his mouth. He had long brown hair that stopped about two inches below his shoulders. He was also wearing a black beater with dark blue jeans and boots like Mark's. As for the last guy, he was tall too with a bald head, a scruffy beard and mustache and a hard look on his face. He actually looked real familiar but I wasn't sure who he was until I went inside.

"Damn it man! Must you play games like that?" The tall man with the mask yelled at the short guy. He had just whipped a towel at his ass striking him hard.

"Wow, wow, wow, slow down Kane! I was only funning that's all." He said as I stepped into the building.

"You two better lay off before Mark and Tracy walk in here. You know how they feel about horseplay." The bald man said.

The short guy laughed before laying eyes on me. "_Oh_…well hello there…can I help you with something?" he asked seductively as he made his way over to me.

I couldn't help but smile at his charms, "Um, I'm actually here for my first day of work."

His eyes widened, "Oh so you're the new receptionist and clothing manager?"

I nodded, "Yes sir I am,"

He smiled and took my hand, "Well hello, I'm Chris and you are?"

"Aria," I responded.

He brought my hand to his lips and said, "And what a beauty you are my dear," before kissing my hand.

I blushed, "Oh my, thank you."

"Chris!" The guy in the mask yelled before pulling Chris away from me. "She's here to work not to be slobbered on!"

I giggled, "It's ok sir…I'm flattered."

"Well I'm sorry anyway, my name is Kane. What did you say your name was again?"

"Aria," I said. "Aria Bautista,"

The minute I spoke my full name the bald headed guy put down his tools and approached me. "I thought that was you sweetie,"

I looked at him as he got closer and instantly remembered who he was, "Hey Bill!"

He smiled and gave me a warm hug. "Hello Princess, how are you doing?"

"Pretty good I suppose." I said.

"Hey wait a minute, how do you know this girl?" Chis said sounding a little jealous.

Bill laughed and wrapped an arm around my shoulder, "Well I am her father's best friend and her Godfather."

"So you're really Dave Bautista's daughter?" Kane asked. "I thought my brother was pulling my leg."

I smiled suddenly feeling at home in this place. "Your brother?"

He was about to tell me something when Mark and his wife stepped into the room. "Hello everyone, I see you've all met Aria."

"Yeah, Chris was about to put the moves on her a while ago." Kane said.

Mark shook his head while his wife stepped up to me. I had to be honest she was a pretty woman and had the perfect body but something about her seemed…off.

"Hello, I'm Mark's wife Tracy." She said with a bright smile. "So glad to finally meet you Aria."

I smiled and shook her hand, "Yeah same here."

"What do you think of the store? I told Mark it needs some more color other than purple and black." She said.

I glanced around at the purple and black walls along with the clothing that was black too. "Well I do like purple and black but you're definitely right,"

She looked back at Mark, "It's about time you hire a girl who _actually_ agrees with me. The last three bitches lied through their teeth just to get close to you."

Mark sighed, "Tracy play nice…and for the last time, I only have eyes for you."

She smirked and turned her attention back to me, "Anyways I'll be training you sunshine. The position you'll be working use to be mine so you're in good hands."

Bill chuckled, "Yeah she's in good hands alright…especially if you want to become Texas's biggest ho."

"Fuck you!" she said as the rest of the guys laughed.

Mark shook his head, "Bill not in front of our new employee."

"Oh it's cool…I've heard worse come out of his mouth." I told Mark.

"What do you mean?" Mark asked.

"She's my Goddaughter." Bill answered proudly.

Mark folded his arms, "Oh really? Well I guess she's safe here after all."

Bill shrugged, "Eh, her daddy probably would be pissed to know she's here at first, but once he realizes I'm working here he'll be ok."

"Good, because she's earning some extra credit working here. Right Aria?"

I looked over my shoulder and nodded before turning my attention back to Tracy. She started showing me how to use the register and how to make appointments for people who called in for tattoos and bike repairs.

"Mark is excellent with bikes and so is Bill so if people ever call in for bike repairs you can set them up with appointments for those two. Kane is the heavy lifter and their assistant. As for lover boy, Chris, he's the tattoo artist."

"So people who call for tattoos go to Chris," I said as I touched the book for tattoo appointments.

"Correct, now this station is all I want you to work on today. I'll be here taking care of the clothing stuff for now until you completely get the swing of things ok?"

"Ok," I said with a smile.

That entire 6 hours of working proved to be one hell of a good time. I watched Kane and Chris go at it over a slice of pizza while Bill videotaped it on his phone. I also got to witness Tracy get water splashed all over her new blouse by Mark and then he let her beat the crap out of him. It was a lot of fun that first day and I hoped it would be that way for the days ahead.

"You did a nice job today Aria." Tracy told me as I got my purse from under the front desk.

"Thanks," I told her.

She smiled and looked over her shoulder at the guys who were just stepping outside for a smoke break. Before I could leave she gently grabbed my arm and said, "I need you to understand one thing while you're here…Mark is mine and mine only…if I catch you looking at him or even fantasizing about him there will be a problem…understand?"

I nodded nervously and she released my arm with a smirk. "Now with that being said, I hope you do very well here. It's definitely a great way to learn about business management."

"Thanks…well I've got to get home. See ya tomorrow." I said.

She nodded and watched as I headed outside to my car. My Godfather hugged me again and kissed my forehead before walking me to my car. When we reached it, he stopped me from getting in for a moment.

"Hey are you ok?" he asked.

I looked back towards the shop where Mark and the guys were all laughing. "Uh yea…yea I'm ok."

"Naw…you sounded too much like your dad when you said that. Come on tell me what's wrong."

I sighed and folded my arms. "Tracy threatened me."

He shook his head, "That doesn't surprise me."

"It doesn't?"

"Hell no. She threatened all the other girls who came here too." He said. "I don't know what for though. It's not like Mark wants any of them."

"Yeah that's what I was thinking." I said. "I mean she's already married to him."

He glanced towards the shop and saw Tracy come out of the shop. "That woman gets threatened by any woman Mark hires especially when they're beautiful like you."

I dropped my gaze and blushed, "Thanks Bill, you're a sweetheart."

"Well I'm only stating the truth honey. Anyways don't be intimidated by her. She talks a lot of shit but her bark is worse than her bite. You could probably take her."

I laughed, "Yeah right. My father never taught me how to fight."

"No one taught him either love." He said. "Besides if she gets too out of line just let me know and I'll tell Mark. He'll set her straight trust me."

"Ok." I said before hugging him again. "See ya tomorrow Bill, and thanks for cheering me up."

He smiled, "Oh no problem. Get home safe sweetie."

I nodded and hopped in my car to go home. I felt really good about my new job, although I knew Tracy was going to be a thorn in my side.


	11. Secret Admirer

**Readers: **Thanks for all the reviews! Thinking about this story becoming a series. Tell me what you think =)

**Secret Admirer**

I pretty much got the swing of things over the next few days. Mark was so impressed with my progress that he decided to give me the weekend off. Thinking I would have a nice relaxing weekend I got up on Saturday and started cleaning my apartment. When I was down on my hands and knees scrubbing the kitchen floor, I heard a loud knock at my door.

"Just a minute," I said as I got up and grabbed a paper towel to dry my hands.

I then walked to the door and glanced through the peephole, upon which I saw my surprise guest.

"Daddy!" I yelled as I opened the door.

He smiled and pulled me in for a big hug. "Hello sweetie, how are you?"

"Good and shocked to see you of course." I told him as he let me go. "Come in, I was just getting my place cleaned up."

He smiled and followed me into my kitchen. "Wow, I don't remember this place being this nice when I first moved you in."

"Well that's what happens when you give me my own space silly." I told him as I got a glass from the cupboard. "So what brings you to town?"

"I've got a fight scheduled in the next town and since I was passing through here I figured I'd stop and see my beautiful daughter." He said as I poured him some lemonade.

I smiled, "Oh please, don't try to suck up now."

"Awe not even a little bit?" he asked.

I handed him the glass of lemonade and then put the pitcher back in the refrigerator. "I guess you can."

He shook his head and took a sip of the lemonade. "Mmm, that's pretty good."

"Thanks."

"So how have you been? I haven't heard from you since I last called." He said.

I sighed, "I've been alright."

"How have your grades been?" he asked. "I hope business management isn't hard for you."

I shook my head, "No it's not that bad. I have pretty nice professors and I love my classes."

"Good. How about Sami and Ally? I haven't heard from Shawn at all." He said.

I tried real hard to keep a straight face at the mention of Sami's name. "Uh, Ally and I aren't friends anymore and Sami decided to transfer."

He looked at me in shock, "What! I thought she liked it here?"

"She did, but when Shawn came to visit he persuaded her to move closer to home…" I said knowing I was lying through my teeth.

"Awe well I'm sorry to hear that honey. Do you have other friends you can talk to?" he asked.

I shook my head but in my mind I was thinking about the guys from my job. I guess I could consider them to be my friends but telling my father about them would only cause him to investigate.

"You're a nice girl sweetie, I'm sure you can make new friends." He said.

I nodded with a smile, deeply missing my girl Sami. In my mind no one could make me laugh or treat me as good as she did. She was irreplaceable and that's how I felt.

"Anyways, did you want to go out for lunch today? I have a little time before I get back on the road." He asked.

"Sure, let me get dressed first." I said as I looked down at the jean shorts and black beater I was wearing.

"Goodness Aria, just brush your hair get your purse and lets go." He said. "I'm not about to wait 5 hours for you to get yourself ready."

"Daddy I don't take that long!" I said not believing his attitude.

He chuckled, "Please, you're the split image of your mother. Let's go."

I rolled my eyes and did as he said. I swear I would understand men and their impatience. They want us girls to look presentable but don't want to wait the few minutes for us to achieve that goal.

A few moments later we found ourselves in the finest Italian restaurant having a private lunch. It felt pretty nice being all alone with my father. The two of us hadn't had the chance to do this in a long time since I was so busy with school and he was busy with his fighting career. We talked for a while about my future in business and the different jobs I could take. He actually suggested me becoming his business partner and helping him launch his career.

"Dad I've been attached to you my entire life, I think I should find something that involves working out of state with new people."

He sighed with a soft smile, "To be honest, I never thought I'd hear you say that. Looks like you've learned a lot by being out here."

I nodded, "I have. It was tough at first but I made it."

"Yes you did and because of that, I'm going to go ahead and pay off your last two years of school." He said.

I gasped, "Really dad?"

"Yes ma'am as long as you promise to keep working and keep your grades up." He said. "I don't want to hear that you're failing Aria."

"Oh you won't hear that trust me." I said before getting up and hugging him. "I love you daddy."

"I love you too." He said.

After lunch my father took me home and dropped me off saying his lovely good-bye before leaving. When I went back into my apartment I walked into the living room and was greeted with a huge bouquet of pink roses. The vase was sitting on my coffee table with a white card lying next to it. I looked around the room for a moment wondering how someone got in my apartment. I walked over to the couch and sat down, picking up the card in the process. My name was printed on the front in gold letters and on the back was a poem that red, "Roses are red, violets are blue, I'd do anything in order to have you."

I smiled at the poem wondering who this secret admirer could be and why he felt the need to hide his identity. I took the flowers to the kitchen and sat them on the counter near the sink, wondering if I would receive more presents like this one. Besides getting a visit from my father, this made my day.


	12. Insecure Barbie

**Insecure Barbie**

"Roses are red, Violets are blue? What kind of loser writes stuff like this?" Bill asked me that following Monday. I had just shown him the card that was left on my coffee table and told him about the roses that came with it.

"I don't know but I'm a little flattered." I said.

He looked at me like I was insane, "Flattered?"

"Yeah…why? What's the problem with having an admirer?" I asked.

"Well for one Aria, the man snuck into your house somehow…doesn't that bother you at all?" he asked.

I felt my body grow cold, "Oh…I didn't even think about that. What should I do?"

He glanced down at the card for a moment and then sighed, "I'll look into it. These type of cards are hard to find so I'm thinking it was custom made."

"Now you should like a detective Bill." I said as I backed away from the counter and went to answer the phone.

He laughed, "Just trying to protect my Goddaughter."

I shook my head and picked up the phone, "Deadman Inc. This is Aria speaking how can I help you?"

As I listened to the customer I saw Tracy and Mark walk in through the front door of the shop. Mark didn't seem too happy at all. His face wore a cold stare and his body was tensed up as he walked into his office. Tracy too looked upset about something. Her arms were folded and she didn't bother to speak to anyone as she followed her husband into the office and slammed the door shut. I finished up my phone call quickly and joined the others in listening to the heated argument.

"What in the hell is your problem Tracy?" Mark snapped. "When are you going to realize that I love you and _only _you!"

"Mark I know that but-"

"-But what Tracy? Every female who smiles or speaks to me is not out to steal me away from you!" he said.

She sighed heavily, "That's not how you see it Mark but that's how I feel!"

"Well you shouldn't feel that way if you know that none of these girls have the power to ruin anything between us. I've been faithful to you for 5 years now and you still think that you need to intimidate these females!"

"Look just get rid of the new girl ok? She clearly has a crush on you I can tell." She said.

The guys glanced at me and I shrugged in confusion.

"I have no clue what she's talking about." I whispered. "Mark is my professor at school that's all."

The guys nodded and then Kane spoke up, "She's like this with every female that gets hired. Don't feel bad."

I nodded and we continued to listen quietly.

"I'm not firing her Tracy. She doesn't want me in that way and even if she did, I love you and only you. On top of that she's one of my students!"

"So fucking what!" She snapped. "I have a friend who told me that she used to be a stripper before she worked here!"

Everyone gasped and looked back at me. "Is that true?"

I shook my head, "No of course not."

"And you think I want her because of that piece of information?" he asked. "Tracy please,"

"So you're not denying her past then?" she asked.

He chuckled, "I don't know anything about her being a stripper before working here Tracy. What she did on her free time was none of my damn business. Why are you pushing this so much?"

"Because I know how quickly I fell for you while working here…I know what I thought when I saw you for the first time…" she said as her voice started to crack. "Plus look at me compared to her…I'm not as sexy as she is."

Chris rolled his eyes, "Oh God here comes the water works fellas…sorry Aria but this might be your last day."

"Why do you say that?" I asked as they all backed away from Mark's door.

Kane sighed, "Every time that bitch cries about something, Mark lets her have her own way."

"That's how the last few girls got fired," Chris said as he checked his appointment book.

I shook my head in disbelief, "Well not me…I refuse to let some crybaby woman run me out of here."

Bill smiled, "So much fire, just like her mother."

After he said that Mark's door opened and a tearful Tracy came out in front of an irritated Mark. We all tried to pretend not to notice them coming out until Mark cleared his throat. I felt my stomach tie into knots as we locked eyes.

"Alright everyone…because of someone's insecurities, Aria…I've got to let you go."

I chuckled, "Actually you don't"

His eyes widened in shock as Tracy raised her eyebrows.

"Excuse me?" she said. "Sorry sweetie but my husband said you've got to go."

"Oh I heard him…but I'm not going anywhere." I said as I kept typing something in the computer.

The guys chuckled while Mark folded his arms and watched the fireworks. Tracy blinked at me and then placed her hands on her hips.

"The last time I checked, employees do what the boss tells them to." She snapped.

I nodded, "Yes but this employee refuses to allow her boss take orders from an insecure wife who doesn't run a damn thing in this place except her mouth."

"Oooooooooo" the guys said in unison.

She sucked her teeth and looked over her shoulder at them, "Shut up morons!"

"They don't have to do a damn thing you say Tracy." I said as I walked around the counter to stand face to face with her. "Didn't you just say that the employees do what their_ boss_es tell them to?"

She narrowed her eyes while the guys kept snickering. "Ok…that's cute. But like it or not, my husband is the boss and what he says goes…and he told you to leave."

I chuckled and turned my attention to Mark. "You know what, if running a business involves making all your decisions based off of what your significant other wants…then maybe I should change my major."

Mark's face stiffened before he cleared his throat. I then walked behind the counter and grabbed my purse, "You can keep that extra credit, I don't want it. You're definitely not the professor I thought you were."

"Hold on a minute you little bitch!" Tracy said as she stepped in front of me. "Don't you dare speak to my husband like he's trash!"

I laughed, "He may not be trash, but he lives with it every single day."

"OOOOOOOOOO" the guys roared.

Tracy shook her head and started tying up her hair. "You know what I'll let you keep your job if you can beat me in a challenge."

"And what challenge would that be?" I asked as I sat my purse down, sensing that it was about to get real.

She chuckled, "Well why don't you meet me outside and I'll show you…BITCH!"

Without warning she swung her arm and slapped me as hard as she could in my face. Just when I returned the slap to her face, the guys all jumped in to pull us apart. My godfather had his arms tightly around my waist as I kicked and screamed trying to beat this bitch's head in. Mark was holding her back along with Chris.

"Let me go Bill! I'm gonna kill that bitch!" I screamed. "She hit me in the fucking face!"

"Calm down kitten." He said as he and Kane dragged me to the room where all of the clothes were held. "We don't want you to use those MMA genes to whip that trick."

I held onto the door frame and yelled, "You're going to die bitch! Just wait! If I see you on the street I'm gonna mop the floor with your Barbie looking ass!"

"Let her go Bill! I want her to touch me again!" she screamed back. "Bitch you don't know me I'm from the hood!"

"And I'm from D.C. boo! You keep fucking with me I'll just strip for your man and blow his fucking mind!"

She gasped and began trying to claw her way over the guys, "That bitch is dead! Let me go!"

"Calm the fuck down Tracy!" Mark and Chris yelled. "You're acting ridiculous!"

She gasped, "I'm acting ridiculous? No you are acting ridiculous by hiring these sleezy whores!"

"Tracy stop calling her a whore!" Mark snapped.

She growled and suddenly picked up a wrench and threw it in my direction. It ended up hitting Kane in the back of the head, knocking him unconscious. Mark grabbed her and told her to stop but she slapped him across the face. We all gasped as Mark kept his head in the direction it turned when she slapped him. It was almost as if the place had come to a standstill the moment her hand met his face.

"Oh my gosh…Mark honey I'm so sorry." She said. "I didn't mean to I swear."

He took a deep breath, rubbed his face, and then glanced over at me. "Aria, consider yourself rehired…Tracy, go get in the truck…"

"But Mark…I thought you said she was-"

"-Get in the truck now before I lose my patience!" he snapped.

Her eyes narrowed before she turned around and left the store.

"I'll call an ambulance for Kane…" mark said. "I'll call you to let him know about his condition after I deal with her…"

We all nodded before Mark looked at Bill and asked him to watch the shop and to start training me in the clothing section. He then marched into his office, grabbed his keys and left the building. I never thought I'd see a side of him like that. He seemed like a big ogre when he was mad and I never wanted to be on the receiving end of something like that.


	13. Another Gift

**Another Gift**

Mark called the shop about an hour before we closed to let us know that Kane was still unconscious and would be in the hospital until he came to. I felt terrible about it so I asked Bill and Chris if they would come to the hospital with me the following morning to see Kane.

"Sure toots," Chris said as he placed his arm around my shoulders. "As long as you let this fine gentlemen take you to breakfast before that."

I blushed as my godfather shook his head, "Chris would you just ask her out already? Damn the girl knows you want her…"

"Shut up old man!" Chris said. "Let the player work his magic,"

I chuckled and stepped out the door with them, "A player huh? Well sorry to burst your bubble but I don't date players…"

His mouth fell open as I winked and headed down the street to my car. My Godfather laughed at him and said, "Smooth…real smooth."

"Players fuck up every now and then…" Chris said before heading to his own car.

I shook my head and got inside of my car, ready to go home and get some rest. The entire drive home all I could think about was my fight with Tracy. I felt terrible about it happening but I needed to stand up for myself. On top of that, I needed Mark to learn how to stand up for himself. He was letting his own wife dictate to him who he should hire when he was the boss! I shook my head as I pulled into the parking lot of my apartment building. I couldn't bring myself to understand why he would allow that to happen. I knew he loved her but does love really bring you to hurt others in order to keep someone else happy?

I parked my car and got out, before locking it and heading up the steps to the second floor. As I got closer to my door, I noticed something was sitting on the ground next to my door. From the looks of things, it was a red gift bag that had another card leaning against it. I looked out over the parking lot before taking a few steps up to it. When I got close enough I bent over and picked up the card and hooked the bag on my arm. I took another glance to see if I saw something or someone before opening the card. Inside I found another poem written to me only this time it was hand written.

I opened the door to my apartment and stepped inside. After closing and locking the door I walked to my living room and turned on the lights before sitting down on my couch. I cleared my throat and read the poem out loud.

"I'm nothing without your touch my love, I'm nothing without your kiss. To spend each night in your arms, is this man's idea of bliss. To not see you each day is to die 7 times by God's wrath. If I was anything other than human, I'd want to be the water in your bath…"

My eyes widened as I reread the poem over and over again. I had me so creeped out that I sat it on the table and didn't bother to open the bag. I sighed heavily and picked up my house phone to call Bill.

"Hello?" he answered.

"Hey Bill its Aria." I said.

"Oh hey honey what's up?" he said.

I sighed and looked around my apartment for any signs of an intruder. "Well…I was wondering if you could come to my apartment tonight…"

"Why, is everything alright?" he asked sounding concerned.

I shivered in fear as I opened my bedroom door and saw more roses on my nightstand. "My stalker was here again and the poem he left this time has me really freaked out."

"Ok honey, don't worry I'll grab a few things from home and I'll be right over." He said.

I nodded, "Thank you."

"You're welcome." He said before hanging up.

I squeezed the phone for a moment before heading back out to the living room to put the phone on the receiver. I then decided to take a peek in the gift bag to see what this person brought for me. I pulled out a long, sleek black dress that was strapless. It came with a set of diamond earrings and a bracelet. I found the gifts to be flattering but that poem brought chills to my spine. With a sigh I took the gifts to my closet and put them away before deciding to grab a shower. I took off my clothes and tied up my hair before putting on a robe and heading to the bathroom. Upon getting there I gasped when I saw that my tub was full of bubbles and water…On top of the bubbles were rose petals that spelled out the word MINE.

My heart started pounding as I slowly backed out of the bathroom and ran into a wall. My eyes stayed locked on the tub as my legs gave out on me and I fell to the ground in horror. Who was this punk and why was he stalking me like this?

When Bill arrived I was still sitting on the floor looking at the tub.

"Aria? Aria what's the matter?" he asked as he bent down to check on me. "Hey, look at me honey."

A tear fell from my eye as I looked into my godfather's eyes. "He was here again."

"How do you know?" he asked.

I looked towards the bathroom and pointed at the tub. He got up and went to look at it, sighing heavily before reaching in and draining the tub.

"It's cold as hell…which means he was here a long time ago." He said before bending down to help me up. "Come on kiddo, you need to rest."

I sniffled as he walked me back to my room. "The poem mentioned him wanting to be my bath water. Bill that's freaking weird."

"I don't know Aria, maybe this guy is just trying to freak you out a little bit. Did you have any enemies in school?" he asked.

I sighed as I took a seat on my bed. "Yea this guy named Alberto. But he normally threatens me right in front of people."

Bill nodded as he went to my closet and pulled out my light blue night gown. "Have you had something done about him?"

I giggled remembering the day Mark saved me from an ass kicking. "Mark stopped him from hitting me a while ago at school."

Bill raised his eyebrow, "That boy tried to hit you!"

"Well he did hit me…Mark just stopped him the second time." I explained.

Bill shook his head, "Has he said anything to you since then?"

"Nope." I said as he handed me my night gown.

"Alright, well let's hope he's not the punk doing this shit. I'll make his life a living hell if he ever puts his damn hands on you again." He said as he opened my top drawer and took out a pair of my underwear. "Here, you get dressed and go to sleep. I'll be in the living room if you need anything else."

"Ok…and Bill?"

He looked back at me, "Yes ma'am,"

"Thanks for coming here. I really appreciate it." I told him.

"No problem honey, I'll do anything for you." He told me before heading out of my room.

I smiled after he shut the door. Whoever this punk was he definitely had a death wish and if he didn't stop I planned to call my father and make it all come true.


	14. Love at First Sight

**Love At First Sight**

The following morning Bill and I got up and got ourselves ready to go see Kane at the hospital. Mark had called that morning and told us he'd be meeting us there along with Chris. I was happy that he sounded more pleasant this morning than he had the day before. That only meant that today was going to be a nice day. I put on a blue jean skirt, that showed off plenty of my long legs and a low V-neck shirt that was fire engine red. I then went to my bathroom and straightened my hair and placed a pair of sunglasses on top of my head. After putting on some make-up and lotion I headed out to the living room.

"You feel better?" Bill asked me when I came into the living room.

I nodded, "Yeah I guess. Thanks again for staying with me."

"No problem honey," he said as he watched me straighten up the living room. "Damn you look like you mother."

I giggled as I picked up some trash and headed to the kitchen. "I get that a lot."

"Yeah well no one is lying to you girl. You and your mom would pass for twins." He said.

After I put the trash in the garbage bag I washed my hands and then went back into the living room.

"Were you and mom close?" I asked.

He chuckled, "Thick as thieves love. Her, Dave, and I all use to hang out whenever we had the chance…I never did get the opportunity to tell her how much I loved her."

My eyes widened, "You were in love with my mom?"

He nodded, "I sure was. That woman had the best advice and such a loving heart…I was pretty upset when she died."

I raised my eyebrow. "How did you know about her death?"

"Well your father told me of course. He called me the night it happened." He said.

I folded my arms, "Dad told me mom died early in the morning…"

He fell silent, "Oh…well maybe he was confused or something. Losing a loved one can do things like that to you."

"Yeah I guess so."

"Come on, let's get going." He said as he grabbed his keys.

I nodded and went to grab mine when he stopped me. "What are you doing?"

"I'll drive you today. If that stalker guy is around I want him to think that you're with me."

I chuckled, "Do you think that'll work?"

"Of course, look at me…I'm tall, muscular, and handsome as hell. He'll fall for it." He told me as he took my hand and led me out of the apartment. I smiled as we stepped outside and made our way down to his truck. He ended up letting go of my hand and wrapping his arm around my waist instead.

I giggled at the gesture and shook my head, "Possessive are we?"

"Something like that. I've got to make sure these other freaks know that you're absolutely off limits."

I laughed as we made it to his truck. He opened my door for me and then helped me into the seat. After I was in he walked to the driver's side and got in the truck. Within seconds we were headed to the hospital to visit Kane. It was mostly a quiet drive over there minus the music he had playing. I rolled down my window and let the wind run through my hair. Bill glanced at me for a moment and smirked.

"What?" I asked.

He shook his head, "It's nothing, you're just so beautiful. I wish I could have been around to watch you grow up."

I looked down at my lap, "I wish mom could have been here too. I feel like I barely got to know her."

He nodded, "I know honey, but trust me when I say, if you want to get to know your mom, just look in the mirror. You're more like her than you know."

I smiled and glanced out the window, "That's good to know."

A few minutes later we pulled up at the hospital where Mark and Chris were waiting patiently for us. Bill pulled up to the front door to let me out before he went and parked the truck. Upon seeing me, their faces seemed to light up instantly. Chris's eyes then traveled from the top of my head, to my feet.

"Well good mooooorrrnnning," he said as he approached me. "You change your mind about that breakfast date?"

I rolled my eyes and walked past him, "Hey Mark how are you this morning?"

He smirked and gently grabbed my chin and turned my head to the side. A few seconds later he let out a soft sigh of relief, "I'm better now that I know Tracy didn't hit you too hard. I was sure she left some type of mark."

I chuckled, "No way. It's going to take more than a hit like that to leave a mark on me."

He smiled, "Are you always this tough?"

I shrugged, "Most of the time…that is until someone has broken into my apartment twice and leaves interesting poems laying around for me to find."

He looked at me in shock, "Wow, someone's been stocking you?"

I nodded as we walked into the hospital. "Yes and it's getting really nerve racking."

"Wow Aria why didn't you tell me?" he said sounding real protective. "I could of let you stay in my private apartment suite."

I raised my eyebrow, "You act like I knew that type of information and no…I don't want to have to knock your wife out."

He laughed, "She wouldn't know anything about it. In fact she doesn't know I have a private place of escape."

I gave it some thought while he told the nurse who we were here to see. Once she gave us Kane's room number we all hopped on the elevator and headed up to the fifth floor. Just two doors to the right of the elevator was Kane's room. Upon walking in, we saw a real pretty plus sized doctor standing at his side writing something down on a clipboard. She was biracial, about an inch taller than me, with shoulder length brown hair. She looked over at us and waved us in before introducing herself.

"Hello, I'm Doctor Shyann Brown, you all must be friends of Mr. Jacobs." She said sweetly.

I smiled and shook her hand, "Hi, I'm Aria."

"Aria, that's a really pretty name." she responded before moving onto Mark, Bill, and then Chris. "Your friend is doing fine. In fact I'm expecting him to wake up sometime today."

Mark sighed in relief, "Oh thank God. I need my assistant back."

She laughed and went back to Kane's side, "Well I'm going to recommend that he stay off his feet for at least another two days or so. He may be a little dizzy after that knock to the head."

"Damn." Mark said. "It looks like you're going to have to call in all the appointments for tomorrow and have them rescheduled."

I giggled, "I took care of that yesterday before we closed the shop."

He raised his eyebrows at me, "Really?"

I looked over my shoulder at him, "Of course…I anticipated that Kane would be out for a while after that wrench clocked him."

"So you _have_ been paying attention…outstanding job." He said.

"Thank you." I responded.

Just then, Kane turned his head and opened his eyes, looking up at the doctor. She smiled at him, "Well hello there Mr. Jacobs. I'm Dr. Brown."

The rest of us watched as Kane's normal irritated look melted away at the sight of the doctor. We each exchanged looks and continued to watch as Kane's eyes looked at the doctor in wonder.

"Hi…" Kane said.

She smiled, "Do you know where you are Mr. Jacobs?"

"Yes in the hospital…or maybe heaven since there's an angel looking at me right now."

The doctor blushed and then glanced at us, "It looks like your friend is going to be ok like I said."

Kane's eyes widened before he turned and saw us staring at him. "Oh…hey guys."

Chris laughed, "You are so busted…."

"Kane I didn't know you had a softer side," Bill snickered.

"Yeah me neither," Mark said, "It looks like we're going to have to let Tracy hit you upside your head more often."

We all roared with laughter making Kane's original face reappear. "You are all so dead when I get out of here."

"Ahh there's the Kane we know." I said with a smile.

Kane looked at Shyann who was laughing too. "I'm so sorry about the jerks in this room. They have no manners."

"Look who's talking." Mark said. "You come to work wearing a mask every day…I'm surprised I get any customers at all."

Shyann laughed, "Well I think your mask is pretty cool Mr. Jacobs."

"Thanks, and please call me Kane or Glenn."

Chris laughed, "Oh man…he just let her know his real name. You all know what that means…"

We all looked at each other and nodded. It was obvious that Kane had just fallen for the pretty doctor and we were never going to let him live it down.


	15. Getting It All Out

**Getting It All Out**

"Man can you guys believe it? Kane actually fell for someone!" Chris said as we all got in the elevator to leave. We had stayed with Kane for about an hour and all he could talk about was wanting to get to know Shyann. I thought it was kind of cute honestly. It wasn't every day that Kane expressed his deepest feelings for other people even after just meeting them.

"Yeah I know, I guess Hell has just frozen over." Mark said as the door closed.

We shared a laugh before Bill asked, "So what are you two doing after this?"

Mark shrugged, "Actually I was going to ask you and Aria that question. There's a carnival in town and I was thinking we could go check it out together."

I smiled brightly at that idea, "Oh I love carnivals."

Bill sighed, "Damn, we better stop by the bank then. I don't want you paying for anything little lady."

"No it's fine; I don't want you guys to dote upon me." I said as I checked my purse to see how much money I had on me.

Mark chuckled, "Sorry Aria, but when you're the only female among us, you don't get a say in what you do…therefore we got you."

I looked at all of their faces before deciding that I had lost this fight. I shut my purse and folded my arms with a smirk, "Ok then."

We all stepped off the elevator and headed out towards the parking lot. Before we could go our separate ways, Mark stopped us and asked, "Hey Aria could you and Chris actually switch for now. I need to speak to you alone if that's alright."

I glanced at Bill who put his arm around my shoulder, "We're actually staying together today so that this stalker will think she's with me."

Mark's eyes widened, "Stalker? Someone is stalking you?"

"Unfortunately," I said before glancing at Bill, "Look if it's just a ride to the carnival I'm sure it'll be fine. Besides, I'm with three of you today. He'll think twice before trying anything stupid."

Bill nodded, "Alright fair enough…be nice to my goddaughter."

Mark flashed a smile before turning and leading me to his truck. The entire time we were walking I was taking in his appearance that day. His hair was now completely red and pulled back into a tight braid. He wore his usual sunglasses with a black Affliction T-shirt, blue jeans and some black Timberlands. He looked really good…no wonder Tracy was so worried about other females trying to steal him from her. But I didn't want Mark. Sure he was a real nice guy but I couldn't date someone that was my teacher in college or my boss. It was just too weird.

When we got to his truck he gladly opened the door and helped me inside before getting in himself. I buckled my seatbelt as his truck roared to life.

"So what's up?" I asked.

He glanced at me for a moment before pulling out of the parking lot. "I was just wondering how you were feeling after what happened yesterday at the shop. I know Tracy was being a bitch and I'm real sorry about that."

I sighed, "It's ok Mark. I'm actually not surprised that she acts that way."

"What do you mean?" he asked as he relaxed in his seat.

I bit my tongue for a moment and glanced out the window thinking about why Tracy would be mad at him all the time. "Well you're a really nice guy and sexy too…she's afraid that those qualities will bring other women in your direction and it does."

He nodded, "What do you think I should do about it? Start treating other women like shit?"

I giggled, "No. Tell me something, do you call her often when you're on break or between classes at school?"

He gave it some thought and glanced at me, "No….no I don't."

"How much time do you spend together?" I asked not believing I was going to help that jealous bitch.

He sighed, "Well I'm always at the school and then at the shop every day except Sundays."

"And what do you normally do on Sundays?" I asked.

"Sleep…or hang with those animals that work at the shop."

I giggled, "Well that's the problem Mark. You don't make any time for her and if you do, it always involves going to the shop. She needs alone time with you…often."

He smiled, "Sounds like you know a lot about relationships."

I shook my head, "No. I'm just a woman who understands how other women feel."

"I wish I had that skill." He said. "It would make this relationship a lot easier to be in."

I dropped my gaze and leaned my head back against the seat. I hadn't thought about that night we ran into each other at the club in a very long time…and it was now surfacing in my thoughts.

"What's wrong?" he asked.

I looked at him, "I thought you didn't have that skill?"

He laughed, "I can tell when something is bothering women but I can't tell exactly what it is that's bothering them. We men aren't mind readers Aria."

"I know." I said as I looked down at my lap. "I was just wondering…if you love Tracy so much, why did you go to the club that one night?"

He was silent for a while so I glanced back out the window. When we came to a stoplight he hit the brake and then glanced at me. The tension I felt when I turned around to face him had my heart rate raise. I was almost sure he could hear it beating while sitting there staring at me.

"I went there…because I wanted to see how much I truly loved her. If you wouldn't have ran out of the room when you did…I probably would have cheated on her." He said.

"I wouldn't have let it get that far." I said as I turned away from him.

"Are you sure about that?" he asked with a little amusement in his voice. "Tell me Aria…if I wouldn't have taken off that blindfold would you have stopped yourself then?"

I couldn't look at him. All I could do was sit there glancing out the window. The light on the street light turned green and he hit the gas. I sighed deeply and then answered him, "I don't know. I'm a virgin and promised myself that I would remain that way until I found the right guy to give it up to. On top of that I don't think I would have been able to have sex with you in that room…I would have wanted it to be special."

He nodded, "What if I would have asked for other things?"

I could feel my cheeks burning. I felt like I was having a talk with my father about sex for the first time all over again. "Oh God."

"Seriously. It's a question I've been wanting to ask you but I was too afraid to." He asked.

I moved my hair behind my ear, "Mark I thought we were talking about the situation that happened yesterday?"

He shrugged, "We were…but this is a conversation we should have had a long time ago."

I smiled and glanced at him, "Alright…yes…I would have done other things with you that night if I didn't know it was you."

He nodded, "Thanks for being honest with me. That's a trait you'll need next year in my Business Management 2 class."

I smiled brightly, "You teach that class too?"

"Yes ma'am. You'll see me until you graduate." He said.

"Awesome, you're an awesome Professor." I told him loving that we were having a different conversation.

"You're an awesome student." He said. "You know without the extra credit you have the highest grade in my class."

"Really? That's pretty cool." I said.

He nodded, "Yes it is. Just promise me you'll keep working at the shop even after your summer breaks."

I smirked, "Actually I think I'm going to be there all summer too. I don't feel like going back home with my dad."

"He drives you crazy doesn't he?" he asked.

"Yeah he does. He still thinks I'm like four years old."

He laughed and shook his head, "Yeah that doesn't surprise me at all. He was always a control freak even with your mom."

I shook my head and smiled as I spotted a Ferris wheel off in the distance. "Looks, like we're almost there."

"Yes ma'am." He said. "And don't worry, me and the guys seriously don't mind paying for you. We're gentlemen."

I nodded and fell silent as we got closer to the entrance of the Carnival. I wasn't sure why but I felt a lot better once we had that talk. I guess he was right about us needing to talk about that. Although I did want to know if we would have gone further…would he have been ashamed of what he did?


	16. Freaky Note

**Freaky Note**

After Mark parked the truck he sent a text to Bill telling him we were going to wait in the parking lot for them. I rolled down my window and then fixed my make-up in the mirror. I could feel Mark watching me closely from his seat with a smirk on his face. I wasn't too sure what he was thinking but something told me he wanted something.

"So…tell me more about this stalker." He said.

I put away my eyeliner and pulled out my lip gloss. "I'm not sure what to say really. First he leaves a bouquet of roses in my living room with a poem on the back of a card, and then…he buys me a black dress with some jewelry."

"That's pretty creepy." He said.

"Yeah but that's not the worst of it," I said as I shut the overhead mirror. "He filled my bathtub up and left red rose petals on top of the bubbles that spelled the word MINE…"

His eyes widened, "Damn…sounds like he's got quite the obsession."

"Tell me about it, but I don't know who could actually do something like that. I had to call Bill to come over to spend the night because I was so freaked out."

Mark chuckled, "And what did he make of the situation?"

"He seemed to shake it off a little. He took me to my room and got my stuff ready for me to go to bed and basically told me to sleep it off."

"Some godfather…I would have at least checked your place for you so you could feel safer." He said. "Do you think you know who your stalker is?"

"I mean I have issues with Alberto but he hasn't even looked in my direction since Ally stopped talking to me."

"Ally stopped talking to you?" he asked.

I dropped my gaze remembering that I didn't really tell him what happened between me and my friends. "Yes. She basically told Sami and I that she was tired of us thinking we were better than her."

"Was she right?" he asked.

I shook my head, "Not at all. We did all we could to make her feel part of our little clique but…that wasn't good enough."

He nodded, "And what about Sami?"

I glanced towards the windshield and sighed heavily as tears tried to fill my eyes. "Her brother and my uncle caught us working at the club one night and…"

I stopped for a moment as my voice began to crack. He sat up straight in his seat and gently reached over and took my hand. I smiled at him before tears began to fall from my eyes.

"You know…Sami and I have been friends for a real long time. We did everything together including cheerleading and learning how to drive." I said. "But the day after they caught us…She looked me in my face and told me that we had to stop speaking and that she was moving to another school."

"Are you serious?" he asked.

I nodded as I wiped my eyes with my free hand. "Shawn blames me for her working in that place…she tried to defend me but he just shut her down…I've never felt so angry in my entire life."

"Well I'm sorry to hear that Aria but you have to understand that there are consequences that come with the place you work. No matter if it's a club or even a shop like mine…there is always some type of trouble that will find it's way to you."

I sniffled, "Yeah but-"

"Listen Aria, I know you miss Sami but I've seen a huge change in you since your friends left your side and since you started working with me. Maybe this is a period of time for you to find who you are and not what others_ want_ you to be."

I nodded and then smiled at him, "You give pretty good advice. I never thought about it that way."

"And so do you." He said with a smirk. "Hang in there alright? Things will get better and I'll look into this stalker for you. It's definitely got to be someone who knows where you live."

"True," I said.

"Did you want to move into my private apartment?" he asked. "That offer wasn't a joke."

I gave it some thought, imagining walking into my own apartment and then being raped or even killed by this maniac."

"How soon can I move?" I asked.

"As soon as you want. We can go pack up a few things after the carnival if you want." He said.

I smiled sarcastically, "Wait a minute….how do I know I can trust you?"

He licked his lips and pulled his sunglasses down to show those green eyes. "Because if I was the stalker…I'd have you already."

I couldn't help but blush at his words. He was a very charming man even when he was acting a little on the creepy side.

"Ok then…" I said with a smile.

Mark's phone suddenly beeped signaling a text from Bill.

"Alright sweet cheeks, let's go have some fun." He said with a wink.

I giggled and hopped out of the truck ready to have a nice time with the guys. We met up with Bill and Chris at the main gate a few minutes later. Upon getting in, Chris requested having me as his partner for the first ride. I agreed to it as long as he promised to win me a prize at one of the game stands. We all had a great time that day playing games, riding a few rides, and winning prizes. Bill had a few bathroom breaks after drinking this very large cup of lemonade and Mark couldn't stop teasing him about it. I found it extremely hilarious when Chris threw a baseball at some bottles to knock them down and missed three times. However when I got up there, I knocked them all down in one toss.

"What the hell man!" he yelled while the rest of the guys laughed.

I smiled and picked out a stuffed animal to take home with me. "Damn Chris…and here I was thinking you could redeem yourself."

He folded his arms and walked off while Bill and Mark roared with laughter.

"I can't believe you showed him up like that." Bill said. "Do you think he'll cry?"

"Maybe on the way home." I answered before yawning.

Mark chuckled, "Looks like someone is tired."

I squeezed my stuffed animal and shrugged, "Maybe just a little."

"Well you can't go home yet little one," Bill said. "We're going to see a movie after this."

"Really? Which one?" I asked.

Bill laughed as Mark glared at him with a smirk, "Saw V."

I shivered in fear, "Ewww…blood and guts…just what I need to end the night."

They shared a laugh before we headed to the parking lot. I decided to ride with Mark again since I loved talking to him alone. He was the only guy I could honestly say listened to me other than my father and even he didn't listen sometimes.

We were actually staring another conversation before reaching the truck. He was telling me how he planned on us each doing a paper for the end of the semester instead of giving us a final exam. I was just agreeing to the idea when I stopped mid-stride at the sight of Mark's truck. Right on the hood, were the words, _"You'll never escape me….I'm closer than you think Aria…" _written in blood. I felt my body begin to shake in fear as I turned around and looked around the parking lot for any sign of someone watching us.

Mark sighed and then gently pulled me into his arms as I started crying. "It's alright Aria…it'll be ok."

I barely heard what he was saying as I cried my eyes out. Something had to be done about this stalker, I just didn't know what.


	17. Part 2 Mark's Plan

**Part 2**

**Mark's Plan**

The note drawn on Mark's truck haunted my mind as he drove me to my apartment. I was still shaking from head to toe with my arms folded tightly under my breasts. I wanted this to end but neither of us knew how to stop it. Chris had suggested going to the police about it but Bill was afraid that the stalker could kill me after that. They thought about it long and hard while cleaning the blood off of Mark's truck.

"I'll think of something," Mark said before helping me into his truck. "For now, I'm going to take her back to her apartment."

They all nodded in agreement before Mark hopped in the driver's side and speeded off towards my apartment. He was quiet most of the drive until I started crying again. He looked over at me and then relaxed a little.

"Hey…it's going to be alright. I'm not going to let anything happen to you." He said firmly.

I sniffled, "I don't think you can do anything about it Mark. I mean this guy seems to be everywhere."

His hand squeezed the steering wheel tightly, "Aria…not to sound rude, but I don't really care what you think I can do."

I glared at him and then dropped my eyes back to my lap.

"Whoever this jerk is, he's real good at his game…but I'm better." He said.

I sighed, "How do you figure that?"

He cracked a smirk, "Because…I care about you more than he does…."

I glanced out the corner of my eye at him, "You sound like you know him."

He didn't say anything back at first, instead he just turned down the music and took a deep breath.

"I'll be honest with you Aria. I don't know exactly who is stalking you…but I do know that there has to be more than one person involved." He said. "Someone had to be on the lookout while the actual stalker did his dirty work and that person somehow has a key to your apartment or they know how to break into places."

"Do you know anyone like that?" I asked. "As far as I know I'm the only one with a key to my apartment."

He sighed, "I'm not completely sure…I'll need to look into it more."

I nodded, "Ok. So what am I going to do until then?"

A blank stare came over his face before he said, "You're going to stay in my private suite in downtown Houston."

"Is that the same place you've been telling me about?" I asked.

He shook his head, "No. I think it's best if you live somewhere that only I absolutely know about. I mentioned the other place in front of the guys and I don't want them knowing either."

"But what if the stalker follows us there sometime?" I asked.

He glanced at me for a second. "That's what I'm counting on."

"Oh God…" I said.

"Listen Aria. The best way to trap a stalker is to make him think you're completely alone at all times. If I take you there tonight, he'll follow but he'll keep his distance for a while to make sure you're all alone."

"You say that as if I'll be with someone." I said.

A sinister smile came across his face, "You will…I'll be across the hall."

I gave it some thought for a moment, "Wait…that must be-"

"-Where my other apartment is. He'll think you're with me but in all actuality you'll be across the hall." He said.

I chuckled, "That's a brilliant plan. How did you come up with that?"

"It's simple; the stalker is only paying attention to you. He won't think to watch me or the guys for that matter."

I nodded with a smiled, "You're smart. I'm very impressed."

He laughed, "Glad to see that pretty smile."

I blushed and turned away from him hoping to myself that this plan would work…


	18. The New Place

**The New Place**

As soon as we made it to my apartment Mark parked the truck and we hurried up to the second floor to get my stuff packed. When I unlocked my door and opened it, I gasped upon seeing the inside of my place. My glass coffee table had been smashed in; my curtains were torn to shreds, the stuffing to my furniture had been torn out, my TV smashed to pieces, and the words, YOU CAN'T HIDE was spray painted on my walls. I walked into the place slowly feeling a strange chill take over my body.

"Oh shit…" Mark whispered behind me. "This guy is sick."

I nodded before heading to my bedroom. Like the living room, my bedroom was completely destroyed. I raked my hand through my hair, wondering if this guy was more dangerous than we thought.

"Mark I need to call my dad." I told him as I took a seat on my bed. "I don't know if I can handle this."

He sighed and took a seat beside me. "Why not?"

I took a deep breath and glanced at him. "Mark…there's something you need to know about me. I may come across as a strong and independent woman, but that's only because I was _forced_ to be like this."

He shrugged, "And what's wrong with that?"

I blinked back tears with a sigh, "I'm still terrified about doing things on my own. I've always had my father to deal with things like this."

He chuckled, "Well Aria I don't know if you noticed, but even with your dad gone you haven't been completely independent. You've had me and the guys here for you…."

I smiled, "Yeah that's true."

"Listen, I know you haven't thought about this before, but I'm more than just your professor or your boss…I'm your friend and I'll do anything for you."

I nodded as he put his arm around my shoulders.

"And don't you worry about being independent. There is absolutely nothing wrong with asking for help when you need it. Your father just wanted to see you make something of yourself without counting on _him." _

I smiled, "I guess it worked huh?"

"Damn straight. You're a very smart woman and pretty as hell too." He said with a smile.

I giggled, "Thanks but you better not let your wife hear that."

He sighed and shook his head, "If my wife opens her mouth in front of you the way she did last time, she'll be hearing about me filing for divorce."

I gasped. "You would really divorce her because of her jealousy?"

"Hell yeah…but we'll talk about that later, for now let's get you packed." He said. "Uh where do you keep your suitcase?"

I pointed towards my closet and watched as he got up and went to check it. While he pulled it out and sat it on my bed, I worked on getting my clothes folded up. It took us a little over an hour to get my stuff packed and taken downtown to the private apartment. It was on the top floor of the city's tallest building. The inside was a breathtaking sight complete with a beautiful view of the city, marble counter tops in the kitchen, and a soft sand colored carpet that stretched from the door to the living room. I smiled when I laid eyes on an aquarium built into the wall in the living room. It was full of different tropical fish that I couldn't even name.

"Don't worry about taking care of them. I'll be over frequently to check on them." He said.

I nodded and continued exploring the apartment. The walls were crème colored in every room including the bedroom which was complete with pearly white sheets and a plush comforter. I put my stuff down and leaped into the bed, loving the way my body seemed to mold into it.

"Oh yea…me and this bed are going to be best friends…" I said.

Mark laughed and sat the rest of my stuff down next to a small fireplace that was to the right of my bed. I had never seen a fireplace in someone's bedroom, but I didn't complain. Winter was coming soon and I needed something like that to keep me warm.

"So what do you think of the place?" he asked.

I smiled, "It's gorgeous, but I'll feel terrible if this stalker guy destroys it like he did mine."

He laughed, "Oh he won't because he won't know you're in here remember? I have a key card to get into the building and you'll have a key to get into this apartment only. Whenever you come home from school, just hit the button to my apartment across the hall and I'll let you in."

"Are you always going to beat me here?" I asked.

He nodded, "I'll attempt to."

"And what about Tracy? Won't she need to visit you so the stalker doesn't go to the school and submit pictures of us entering the same building?"

He smirked, "You've really given this some thought haven't you?"

I nodded, "Just trying to think the way he does."

"Wow…you really do pay attention in class. I was so sure you were sleeping during all of my lectures."

I giggled, "I told you I rest my eyes…I don't sleep."

"Well I believe you now." He said. "Anyways, don't worry about Tracy. She and I are separated for now so she won't need to visit."

I nodded, "Oh…I see. Well I guess we'll just have to wait and see what happens."

"Yes we will but you must also remember not to tell a soul where you are staying." He said. "Anyone could lead that stalker to you."

"What about my dad?" I asked. "He'll probably drop in for a visit and think something has happened to me."

Mark gave it some thought as he rubbed the back of his head, "I don't know Aria. Tell him you left to go on a school trip and that you had no idea about your apartment being a wreck."

I smirked, "You're a quick thinker."

"In situations like this you've got to be. Anyways, I'll be across the hall if you need anything. As a matter of fact, give me your cell phone."

I reached into my skirt pocket and pulled out my IPhone 3 for him. He gladly took it and programmed his number into my phone. He then sent himself a text so that he would have my number.

"There. If you need something you can call me." He said.

I nodded with a smile, "Ok …Thank you Mark…this really means a lot to me."

He smiled, "You're welcome, just remember, don't tell anyone not even Bill where you are."

"Got it." I said before walking him to the door. He reached into his pocket and pulled out a key for my door.

"Take this. It's the only key to this apartment so if that bastard finds a way in…you scream as loud as you can you hear?"

"I hear you." I said.

He hugged me and then left me all alone in the apartment. I released a sigh of relief knowing that I was now safe…or so I thought. About an hour after I started putting my clothes away, I got a call from a private number. I decided to ignore it to see if the person would leave a voicemail. When they did, I put it on speakerphone to check it and dropped my phone when I heard, _"You can't run and you can't hide from me…I'll get you when you least expect it."_

I could tell that he was using some type of device to disguise his voice but I had no idea who it could be. I sat down on the sofa and sobbed quietly to myself hoping to God that this bastard would show himself soon.


	19. Surprise Gesture

**Surprise Gesture **

Living in that apartment took some getting used to. Every time I would leave school I always began heading towards my old apartment at first but then I'd get a text from Mark reminding me that I was supposed to be going in the other direction. I laughed about it but then realized that I could be allowing this stalker guy to get a chance at following me home. Good. I wanted him to follow me so Mark could beat the crap out of him and this could all be over.

"Ok everyone that's time." Mark said as he stopped us from finishing our Algebra final. It was now a week before Christmas break, the week of finals and I hadn't heard a thing from that crazy stalker. It came as no surprise to Mark since he expected the guy to be someone close to me. If everyone didn't know of my whereabouts…then neither would the stalker. Clever.

I smiled at my final exam before handing it in. Mark glanced at me with a smile before watching me head over to the next class. I was so happy to be halfway done with my sophomore year and confident that I was going to pass all of my finals including the Business Management paper I wrote. At that point the stalker wasn't even on my mind.

"Hey Aria?" Mark said as I walked towards my car later on after my finals.

I stopped and turned around with a smile. Hearing his voice lately seemed to bring my spirit up. "Hey there _Professor." _

He laughed as he stopped in front of me, "Miss Bautista,"

"How can I help you?" I asked.

"Well every year I throw a little Christmas party at my house and since Tracy and I are still separated I was going to have one at my apartment."

I smiled, "Awe that sounds like fun."

"Yeah well I was wondering…since you aren't going home for the holidays, if you wanted to come over and spend some time with me and the guys."

I rolled my eyes playfully, "Well…._I don't know_…"

He laughed, "Awe come on, don't tell me you're going to try and play me like that?"

I giggled, "Of course not. You know I'll be there."

"Good…but just a fore warning….Tracy is coming." He said.

I sighed heavily, "Oh joy…"

"Come on don't be like that. I know she hasn't treated you real nice but I think that's the night I'm going to sit her down and have a nice long talk with her."

"No yelling involved right?" I asked. "I don't want to have to bust her head open for hurting you."

He laughed and shook his head, "No ma'am…the only yelling you'll be hearing is-"

"-Stop right there, I know where you're going with that." I said as he roared with laughter.

"What? I can't help myself. It's been a while since I got some." He said as he walked me to my car in the cold winter air.

I shook my head, "Oh dear…I'm talking to my professor about the last time he had sex…great."

He laughed, "No no no, you are talking to your _friend_ about the last time he had sex. I told you before I'm more than just your professor."

"Yes you did." I said.

"So when is the last time _you_ had sex?" he asked.

I frowned a little, "Don't you remember? I told you in your truck that I was a virgin."

He smirked, "Oh yeah that's right. Well I'm proud of you for being one."

I glanced at him as I opened my car door, "How come?"

"Because it's tough to stop having sex once you start. Plus you could end up giving it up to the wrong person." He said.

I nodded and tossed my purse in the backseat. "Well I'll see you later."

"Ok." He said. "Drive safe and I'm closing the shop for tonight. There's too much snow on the ground."

"Alright." I said, "Feel free to come over for dinner later. I could use the company."

He nodded and waved at me as I hopped in the car. I waited patiently for a few moments until he pulled off and headed to the right and then I headed to the left. Mark decided that we going in different directions to get home would help keep the stalker at bay, but tempts him to follow me all the same. I swear Mark would make an awesome detective. I didn't know who he thought this so called stalker was but clearly everything he's said about him had been true so far.

"HAHAHAHAHA Oh my gosh Kane all you have to do is talk to her." I said. Kane had called me about an hour after I made it to the apartment. He was trying to get some advice about talking to Shyann and he figured I could help him with it.

"I can't talk to her Aria…she's not like other women." He said sounding like a nervous wreck. "What if she shoots me down?"

"She won't Kane. You're a real nice guy." I said.

"But I'm not attractive." He said. "I wear this mask for that reason."

I shook my head, "Kane if she's the type of girl who goes for looks then she isn't the one for you. You need someone who's going to love you inside and out."

He sighed as I walked from my bathroom to the kitchen to check on the lasagna I made. "I don't know. She's 32, a virgin, and seems to love to read…I like watching her read. There's something so enchanting about how calm her face looks."

I smiled, "Kane I'm a virgin and you don't have trouble talking to me."

He fell silent, "You are?"

"Mm-hm." I answered as I opened the oven. "Talking to a virgin is just like talking to other girls. We just have that one special thing that other girls don't."

"I guess you're right…ok…I'll ask her out to a movie."

"Boring." I said as I set the phone on speaker and sat it on the counter.

"Boring? How can you say that?" he asked.

I giggled and put on my oven mitts, "Kane if you want to get to know this girl, you'll have to take her somewhere where you can socialize. For instance, take her out to dinner somewhere nice and private."

"Ok sounds good. I'll give her a call and ask her right now." He said.

"Good, oh and Kane?"

"What?" he asked.

I bent over and pulled the lasagna out from the oven. "No sex on the first date."

"Oh ha ha ha…very funny." He said.

I laughed and placed the pan on the counter before taking off my mitts and shutting the oven door. "You know I had to do it."

"Yes of course." He said. "Good-bye."

"Bye lover boy."

After hanging up with him I headed to the bedroom to change into something more comfortable. I put on some pink form fitting sweatpants with white lines going down my leg starting at the hip. I then put on a long sleeved white t-shirt that had a U neckline. I brushed my hair and then headed into the living room to watch TV. Mark ended up coming over a few minutes later with a surprising note from the stalker that said, "I know where you are."

I giggled, "So he thinks he's got me huh?"

"Yes he does…I can't wait for him to walk into the wrong apartment like an idiot."

I laughed and headed to the kitchen where the lasagna was ready to be cut. Mark smiled at the smell of the cheese and meat intricately put together to form my personal masterpiece. While we shared dinner, I found myself thinking about everything that had happened to get us to this point. It felt like it was only yesterday when we were butting heads in class and now here we were having a nice dinner together.

"That was really good Aria." He told me as he handed me his plate. "Damn do you always cook like that?"

I laughed, "Only for my dad…and now you."

He smiled as I placed the dishes in the sink and rinsed them off. I then sat them in the dishwasher and poured in some dishwashing liquid before shutting it and turning it on.

"Well that's that…" I said before drying off my hands.

"Yes it is." He said. "What are you planning to do for the rest of the night?"

I shrugged, "Maybe sit out here and watch a few movies."

"Sounds like fun. I've got grades to post…" he said as he stretched his arms, "But thanks to your good cooking, I might have to take a nap first."

I giggled and walked him to the door, "I'm glad you enjoyed it."

He smiled and hugged me close to his warm body. I smiled at the scent of his cologne filling my nose and tingling my senses.

"Call me if you need something." He told me as he pulled away.

I nodded and looked into his eyes. Something about them was different that night. He normally looked real tired after leaving my place, but this wasn't the look of a tired person.

"Are you ok Mark?" I asked.

He kept looking at me for a moment before dropping his gaze for a split second. I wasn't prepared at all for what came next. When his eyes popped back up to mine, he leaned down and gently kissed my lips. I was so caught off guard that I just rested my hands on his chest and closed my eyes. When he pulled away, I just stared at him completely stunned.

"Goodnight little one." He whispered before heading over to his apartment leaving me more confused than I had ever been before.


	20. Hard To Get

**Readers: **I hope you all had a real nice thanksgiving! Read and Review please =)

**Hard To Get**

That night I got in my shower still feeling confused about the kiss. My fingers rested on my lips as I let the hot water run all over my body. Although it was a quick peck on the lips, it seemed to light my body on fire and keep me thinking about him for hours. After washing off my body I threw on a towel and headed to my bedroom to do my normal routine. I dried off my body, rubbed lotion all over my skin, threw on a robe and blow-dried my hair.

Once I was done, I went to my dresser to pull out something to sleep in. The minute I touched the drawer I started wondering if Mark was having the same thoughts that I was having. I leaned my head against the top of the dresser and released a deep sigh. I wanted to go across that hall and kiss him back, but I knew he was still married and loved his wife…or did he?

I shook my head and opened my drawer before hearing a knock at my door. I smiled and slid my slippers on before quietly making my way to the door. I checked the peephole and saw Mark pacing back and forth in front of my door. I could tell he had just gotten out of the shower. He was shirtless but had on grey sweatpants. His hair looked freshly dried and he wasn't wearing any shoes or socks. I chuckled and slowly opened my door, stopping him in his tracks.

"Hey," I said.

He looked at me from head to toe before slowly stepping close to me. "Hey."

I glanced up into his eyes with a smile, "Did you want to talk?"

He blinked once and then nodded. I stepped to the side to let him in. After shutting the door and locking it, I turned around to walk with him to the living room but his lips reconnected with mine. I closed my eyes and wrapped my arms around his neck as he pressed my back against the wall. I gasped and gently pressed my hands into his chest, breaking the kiss.

"Mark wait, we can't-"I said before he gently grabbed my head and pressed his lips against mine again. I was trying so hard to fight him off, but his tongue found its way inside of my mouth. My body completely melted into him as I gripped the back of his head and pressed him closer to me. I loved the way his tongue danced with mine and how my lips were beginning to swell from the intensity of the kiss. I didn't understand what was happening between us at all. We had already established that we each had separate lives and that nothing could ever happen between us when he was my professor and his boss.

I was pulled from my thoughts when he moved down to my neck and began gently sucking on it. I leaned my head back against the wall and squeezed the back of his hair. My body was slowly coming to life telling me that this was only going to get worse. Suddenly he grabbed my waist and picked me up. My legs instantly wrapped around his waist before he carried me off through the apartment. We kept kissing fiercely as he held onto me. He walked me through the living room, to the kitchen and finally to my bedroom. I found myself giggling when he sat me down on my bed and slowly climbed on top of me. He leaned down and kissed me softly before staring into my eyes.

"I want you Aria…but I don't understand why." He whispered.

I looked into his eyes and gently ran my hands over his broad chest. "I want you too Mark…but we both know that this can't happen while I'm your student."

He smirked, "It could happen if you would stop resisting me and let it."

I laughed, "Mark you're married too…and I thought you wanted it to work with her."

He shook his head and kissed me again, "I'm not certain about her…but I do want you and I want you really bad."

I sighed and pushed him off of me, "Then you'll have to leave her Mark! I refuse to be your mistress until you decide to make up your mind. Besides…how can we be together when there is so much that keeps us apart?"

He sighed, "You've got a good point."

I raked my hand through my hair and got up from the bed. "Look Mark I'll admit it, I like you a lot…and it does bug me that you're with a woman like Tracy…but you'll have to figure things out with her first before you even think about being with me."

He nodded with a sigh, "Alright then…can I at least lay here for the night? I miss having someone to lie with at night."

I folded my arms and gave it a little thought. "Ok fine…but don't you dare try anything."

He laughed, "I may not be able to help it…you're so beautiful."

I couldn't help but smile before turning to my dresser to get my night clothes out. I took them into the bathroom and got dressed, giving myself some time to relax. After I was dressed I headed back into my room and found him under my blankets. I shook my head and hung my robe on the closet door. I had no idea how I was going to be able to lay next to him without wanting to open my legs for him but I had to try.

I turned off my lamp before climbing into my bed with him. I was about to lay facing away from him but he found it funny to tease me. His arm snaked around my waist and gently pulled me against the warmth of his body. I couldn't help tense up, he was so not playing fair. I turned around and laid facing him instead but he only started kissing me. I wrapped my arms around his neck again before he moved me to the middle of the bed and then turned me onto my back. As he was turning me, I felt his penis hit my leg. I gasped and gently hit his chest.

"Where are your pants?" I asked.

He laughed, "Come on Aria, we can't make love if I keep them on."

I shook my head, "You don't give up do you?"

"Not a chance," he said before kissing me deeply. "There's no way I can be in this bed with you without doing something with you."

I laughed and pushed him off of me, "Sure you can…it's called sleep."

He chuckled and watched as I got comfortable facing the door. I knew Mark really wanted me, but he'd have to fight hard to get between these legs.


	21. A Heart To Heart

**A Heart to Heart**

Playing cat and mouse with Mark had to be the funniest thing in the world. Anytime he got me alone he did his best to make me give into his charms. He almost had me a few times, but I was much stronger than he expected.

"I don't know if I can do this Aria…what if she thinks I'm a loser?" Kane said as I fixed his red sweater.

I was across the hall in Mark's bedroom trying to help Kane get ready for his date with Shyann. He was basically sweating bullets and wouldn't stop beating himself up. Bill, Chris and Mark were all sitting in Mark's living room playing Call of Duty. It must have been an intense game since they were all yelling at the top of their lungs and gunshots from the game were being fired every few seconds.

"Kane you're not a loser," I said. "She accepted your offer to take her out to dinner so she must be a little interested.

He sighed, "I don't know Aria…"

I sighed and grabbed his shoulders, "Kane…it's going to be ok. You really need to relax."

He looked into my eyes and then sighed softly, "Alright then."

I smiled brightly, "Good boy."

"COME ON MAN! TAKE OUT THE SNIPPER!" Bill yelled from the living room.

"I'M TRYING! THE BASTARD KEEPS MOVING!" Chris yelled back.

I shook my head at the noise before spraying Kane with a little cologne. "Those guys are too funny."

"I can't even talk because if I wasn't going out tonight I'd be in there too." He said with a smile.

"Of course." I said before taking a seat on Mark's bed.

Kane checked himself out in the mirror and smirked at how fresh I made him look. The red sweater and blue jeans were a perfect touch with his wavy brown locks.

"You should invite her over for Mark's get together on Christmas Eve." I said. "I'd like to get to know her too if you don't mind."

"That sounds cool." He said, "Let's just hope tonight goes really well."

"It will damn it," I said with an evil smirk. "Stop making yourself nervous."

He chuckled, "Yes ma'am…hey Aria?"

"Huh?" I asked.

He turned around and leaned against the dresser, "I've been meaning to ask you…what's going on between you and Mark?"

"What do you mean?" I asked. "He's a good friend that's all."

He raised his eyebrow, "Are you sure?"

"Yeah why?" I asked, trying to sound as if I didn't know what he was talking about.

"Well you didn't hear it from me but…I overheard him talking to Tracy the other night and he told her that he was falling in love with someone else."

My entire face froze. "Well I'm not too sure why you would think that person is me. I mean Mark and I can't be together as long as I'm his student."

"Oh no you don't…I know it when a woman has feelings for a man and you've got it written all over your face." He said.

I rolled my eyes and started playing with my hair, "Ok maybe I do like him…but I wouldn't put my college career on the line just to have a little fun with a man. Besides he's still married to Tracy and I don't want to come between that."

"Yeah but we can all tell that he's in love with you. Mark has never gone through great lengths to ensure that a woman would stay safe like he has with you. To be honest, I think he's been in love with you for quite some time now…maybe since he first met you."

I sighed and rubbed the back of my neck, "We didn't get along the first time we met. I mean I practically did everything I could to piss him off."

"Typical first reaction a woman has to an attractive man."

I blushed and turned away from Kane, "You don't know what you're talking about."

"Hello Aria I'm a man…I think I do know." He said. "Besides, I noticed a change in Mark's attitude after his first week of classes. He was less quiet and smiled more around us. You actually had that effect on all of us really."

I smiled and crossed my legs, "Glad to know I have fans."

He laughed, "Anyways, if he leaves Tracy don't feel bad about it. She really had this coming for a long time now."

I nodded, "If you say so."

"Oh I know so." He said. "The man has been doing whatever he could to find your stalker he's even interrogated us just to be sure."

"Oh wow…I don't think any of you could actually stalk me…well….maybe Chris."

He laughed before picking up the fresh bouquet of roses for Shyann. "Well I better go pick her up. I don't want to be late the first date."

I giggled, "No you don't, come on big guy."

He nodded and followed me out to the living room. The guys all glanced up at us when we entered the room, cracking smiles at Kane's new look.

"Wow man, you look dashing." Chris said. "Damn Aria could you hook me up like that?"

"I could when you stop chasing me." I said as I headed to the kitchen to get a drink.

The guys laughed at Chris as he shook his head, "No, No, No, you know that won't happen until you get yourself a more attractive man than me."

I rolled my eyes and glared at Kane, "good luck big red."

"Thanks Aria." He said before I headed all the way into the kitchen. I found a bottle of wine in Mark's refrigerator and made myself a glass of it.

While I took my time trying to clear my thoughts, Mark came into the kitchen to get himself a beer. I smirked at him before turning my head in the other direction. God he was so sexy…but I couldn't let him win just yet. There was no way I was giving up anything without being certain he was leaving Tracy.

"Hey…you alright?" he asked as he opened his beer.

I nodded, "I'm ok, just not feeling too well."

He chuckled and took a swig of his beer. "Well if you would stop playing with me, I would help you feel better."

"Oh whatever," I said playfully.

"Yeah whatever…you think I'm playing with you but I'm dead serious." He said. "I'd make you say my name just by whispering in your ear."

I giggled and walked up to him. Gently I grabbed his chin and made him face me, "Well you better get to whispering then…because that's the only way I'll say your name like _that_."

He raised his eyebrows as I smiled and walked back into the living room. I knew I was playing a dangerous game, but it was fun as hell and I planned to win it.


	22. Found

**Found**

I stayed with the guys up until Kane returned from his date. He was gone for at least 5 hours, returning around 12:30am. He was quiet at first when he returned making me believe that his date was a disaster. He walked over to me and bent down before telling me, "You're the best."

I smiled and patted the cushion between Mark and I, "Tell me all about it."

He gladly took a seat next to me and started telling me all about his night with Shyann. They went out to dinner at the boardwalk, where they spent time getting to know each other.

"She's amazing, she loves animals, long walks on the beach-"

"-Chick flicks, getting her nails done…" Bill cut in with a sarcastic smile.

I giggled while Kane glared at him, "She's not like other girls Bill…she actually seems really interested in me."

"And you seem interested in her of course…" Bill said. "It's nothing to get worked up over big guy…she's a woman and they all are the same."

Mark paused his game and glared at Bill, "Why would you say that in front of your goddaughter?"

Bill shrugged, "Because that's how I feel."

I blinked a few times at him, sensing some hostility in his voice. "I'm not like that Bill."

He sniffed, "You may not be like that now, but just wait…as soon as a man pours his heart out to you you'll treat him like trash."

Chris cleared his throat, "Wow man where is all of this coming from?"

"That's what I want to know." Mark said. "Sounds like someone's a little jealous of Kane's happiness,"

"No one here is jealous of anything." Bill snapped. "It's simple, ALL, not some…ALL women are the same and that's how I feel."

"Bill that's real unfair to say, especially when you haven't met _every_ woman in the world." I said. "On top of that you just got back into my life a few months ago so shut the hell up."

"Don't you dare speak to me like that. "I may not be your blood but I'll kick your ass like you were my own child."

"Hey man chill out," Chris said.

"Mind your own damn business Chris." Bill snapped. "You all say what you have to say about women on a daily basis."

"Yeah but we don't say it in front of Aria." Mark growled. "Did you forget that she's the only female in this group?"

Bill chuckled, "Yeah and that's what's wrong with all of us now. Before she came along we were able to talk about anything to each other and things were easier to deal with."

I narrowed my eyes at him, "Stop talking about me as if I'm not here…"

"I'll speak to you as I please young lady…you should learn to take orders from men…it's healthy for you."

All the guys gasped as I chuckled and got up from the couch. The guys watched as I grabbed my purse, car keys, and slipped on my shoes before leaving the apartment. I made sure to keep real quiet as I unlocked the door to my own apartment and went inside. I closed the door quietly before locking it and marching into my bedroom. I couldn't believe my own godfather had the nerve to put me in the same category as all women. Sure I made mistakes here and there, but he hadn't been in my life long enough to make that assumption about me.

I sat down on my bed and took off my shoes angrily, tossing them across the room to my closet door. I took a deep breath as his words continued to repeat themselves in my mind. Where in the world did it come from? I most certainly didn't think I did anything wrong to him, let alone deserved to have something so harsh said to me like that. I shook my head before getting up and beginning to strip out of my clothes. I needed a nice hot shower to make me feel better at this point.

When I got out about 30 minutes later, I wrapped my body in a towel and then headed back to my bedroom to get dressed. I sat down on my bed and picked up my cell phone just to see if I had any messages and indeed I had two texts and a voicemail from a private number. The two texts were from Mark that said, "Hey are you alright?" and "I'll be over in an hour."

I smiled at the messages, loving how caring Mark was when it came to me. It was a wonder I hadn't slept with him yet. He was so sexy and really made me believe that he cared deeply for me. After sitting there thinking about Mark for a moment, I checked the voicemail and was mortified when I heard these words.

"_I know where you are Aria…did you really think you could hide from me forever? I never lost you….NEVER." _

My body trembled before I dropped my cell phone to the floor. My lights in my apartment then shut off, leaving me in total darkness except for the moonlight shining through my windows. I sighed and opened my nightstand drawer to get out my flashlight. To my surprise it was nowhere to be found. I sighed and headed out to the kitchen to look in those drawers but I couldn't find it in there either. I checked the living room as well and still found nothing that could light the way for me. I finally gave up and went back to the bedroom to check the drawer again. I kept digging through it, trying desperately to find it before someone came up behind me and placed a thick cloth over my nose and mouth. The person held me tight against their body while I kicked and tried to scream. Soon I felt my body growing weak and limp and my vision became extremely blurry. Before I knew it, I was completely unconscious. I had no idea what was happening or who was doing this to me, but I knew that I was now in grave danger.


	23. Huge Twist

**Huge Twist**

The sound of a sharpening drill filled my ears as I came to. My vision was still blurry for a moment. I shook my head and heard chains rattle from above my head. It was then that I realized that my arms were tied together at my wrists and shacked above my head. There was something tied around my mouth, keeping me from screaming and I was still wearing my towel. I was standing in the middle of a place I thought I recognized but it was too dark to tell. All I could see was the outline of a door. There was an orange glow coming from the other side of the door. I figured it was coming from the sharpening drill since the sound was so loud and the glow only got brighter every time something was put against it.

I started wiggling my wrists to see if I could get free, but I only managed to make all types of noise. Soon the sharpening drill stopped and whoever was using it made their way to the door I was behind. I got real tense trying to picture who this stalker was. I squeezed my hands together as he twisted the lock on the door and then turned the knob. My heart began to pound as the door creaked open and a light popped on. I closed my eyes when the bright light above me pierced my gaze. When the door slammed shut, I turned my gaze back towards my kidnapper and saw not one person…but two. They were dressed in all black with black ski masks on their faces. The taller one glanced at the shorter one, and nodded his head. The shorter guy smirked and approached me slowly. When he got close enough he stared into my eyes and then grabbed my throat.

I squealed in fear and the taller guy pulled a freshly sharpened knife from his pocket. He then waved it back and forth in front of his face and said, "If you scream again…I'll make sure it's the last sound you make my dear."

I glanced at him, slightly recognizing his voice. He leaned his head to the side and approached me with open arms.

"Don't tell me you still haven't figured it out Aria? I mean I think I've made it pretty obvious how much I love you." He said.

I looked into his eyes before he slowly pulled the ski mask from his face. I was horrified to see my godfather, Bill Goldberg looking at me.

"Surprise Aria." The shorter guy said before pulling off his own mask. I was even more surprised to see Chris as his accomplice. What in the hell were these two thinking?

I started breathing deeply, wondering what these two were planning to do to me. I couldn't believe I never saw this one coming. I knew it was someone close to me but I would have never imagined it to be my own godfather stalking me like a piece of meat!

"I bet you're wondering why I would stalk my own goddaughter…" he said as he began walking around me.

Chris smirked, "Oh I don't think she knows why at all Bill. I guess her daddy never really was honest with anyone in his life….not even his own daughter…"

They laughed together and then Bill nodded for him to release my neck. When he did, Bill stepped up to me and gently pulled the gag from my mouth. I didn't say anything, I just stared into his eyes wondering what he was about to tell me.

"You know, your father never told me just how beautiful you really are." He said as he gently grabbed my chin. "I think you're the perfect prize for concealing his secrets after all this time."

I sniffled, "What are you talking about?"

He smirked and glanced over his shoulder at Chris, "Take this and go…I need some alone time with her."

"But I thought you said we were taking turns?" Chris asked.

"You'll get your turn once I've had mine…now go!"

Chris nodded, took the knife, and then left the room. As soon as he was gone, Bill turned to me with a smirk and then continued his story.

"Tell me something Aria, did your father tell you exactly how your mother died?" he asked.

I was about to answer him when he placed a finger on my lips. "Don't worry sweetness…I'll tell you how…he cooked her dinner one night…slipped something special into her sweet tea…waited for it to take affect…and then did to her, what I'm going to do to you."

I shook my head, "No…no way you're lying!"

"Lying about what? About how your mother died, or about me making you mine?" he said as he tore the towel from my body and tossed it to the ground.

"NO PLEASE DON'T!" I screamed at the top of my lungs.

He laughed and started unbuckling his belt, "Why not Aria? Don't you want a man who loves you to be your first?"

I started crying, "Oh God please don't let this happen!"

"God can't help you now Aria…your father gave you to me for keeping his dirty little secret…murdering your mother!"

I screamed as he stepped back and shut off the lights. He then came up to me and unshackled my arms from the chain hanging above. When I was released, I tried to swing my arms and hit him but he wasn't where I thought he was. He suddenly grabbed my hair and tossed me to the ground and then got on top of me. He rolled me on my belly, pinning my bound arms underneath me. I cried hard knowing I was about to lose my virginity to a man who definitely didn't deserve it. I closed my eyes tight as he got himself positioned behind me. I was sure that this was it…that I was about to be raped by my own godfather until I heard a huge crash from behind us. Bill looked over his shoulder and then got up as someone charged into the room at him.

"Get off of her you pig!" I heard Kane scream at the top of his lungs.

Bill backed off with a laugh, "Oh no…you two have got it all wrong. Dave gave her to me…she's mine!"

I heard Mark laugh, "No fucking way…Aria can't be yours Bill."

"And why not?" Bill asked as he pulled up his pants.

Mark looked at me and then moved to his left…letting Tracy into the room. She looked down at me and then started crying before looking at Bill, "She's not your goddaughter big brother…she's your niece."

Bill's face fell to pieces as did mine. "W-What are you talking about? Bill is your brother?"

Tracy sniffled and ran her hands through her hair. "Yes…and your mom is our sister."

I gasped feeling more confused than ever. Mark came into the room with a blanket and wrapped it around my body.

"Come on, let's get you home." He told me as he picked me up in his arms and carried me out of the building. I couldn't wait to hear the story of my mother and how she was related to these people…


	24. Night Cap

**Night Cap**

Mark took me back to his apartment followed by Kane and Tracy. I was pretty quiet the entire drive wondering why all these secrets had been hidden from me. All I wanted to do was climb into the nearest bed and sleep my problems away.

Upon getting into the apartment, Mark walked me to the bathroom and sat me down on the counter. I watched as he ran me a nice hot bath and added the bubbles. Once the tub was full, he shut off the water and then got me a towel and a sponge.

"You alright?" he asked.

I shrugged and looked down at my lap, "He almost raped me Mark…I felt so powerless…"

He sighed and gently took my hands into his own. "Hey it's alright Aria. You didn't know he was the stalker."

A tear fell from my eye, "Did you know?"

He was silent for a moment and then took a deep breath, "I knew the minute you told me he came to your apartment to stay the night with you. Didn't you find it weird that he knew how to get to your place without you telling him how?"

I gave it some thought and then covered my mouth, "Oh God…that explains how he knew exactly where to get my clothes and what size I wore. How could I be so stupid?"

Mark shook his head, "You're not stupid. I'm stupid for thinking I could outsmart him. Because I didn't think about it well enough, he kidnapped you and held onto you for a few days."

My eyes popped open, "A few days?"

"Yeah…you must have been out of it." He said.

"Oh God…they probably did things to me before tonight. Mark I need to be checked out."

"They already arrested them Aria…I have a few friends in the police department." He said.

I shook my head, "Wow…so…Tracy is my aunt huh?"

"I guess so…"

I dropped my eyes in disappointment, "Then that makes me your niece by marriage."

"Not after next week….we're getting a divorce. Get your bath and meet us in the living room. We'll talk then." He said.

I nodded as he turned to leave. I wasn't sure what came over me but I felt the need to thank him for rescuing me. I grabbed his arm, making him come back to me. We locked eyes with each other before I gently wrapped my arms around his neck and pulled him down to kiss me. I loved the way his lips caressed mine, and our tongues fought for control. A thank you kiss was turning into something much more. His hands began to travel down my body, tugging off the blanket he had me wrapped in. I closed my eyes and leaned my head back as he moved down to my neck, kissing me all over.

"Mark wait…not now…I want to wash first." I said as I thought about Bill and Chris's filthy hands being all over me.

He nodded and gave me another kiss on my lips before leaving the bathroom. I was so happy to be back in the safety of his presence. Something about him always made me feel good about meeting him.

After my bath, Mark gave me one of his long t-shirts to wear so I could come and talk to Tracy. She was sitting in the living room with her face buried in her hands. I sat down in the chair and Mark stood behind me, rubbing my shoulders in support.

Tracy sat up and looked at us with a soft smile, "I knew you would fall in love with her…after all she looks like her mom."

I glanced back at Mark and then looked at her again, "Um….could you tell me how my mom is your sister?"

She sighed, "Our mom…Bill and mine, adopted her when she was pregnant with you. We never really got along that much and we left for college when you were young."

"That explains why I never really knew much about you two." Mark said.

Tracy nodded, "When I saw you in the shop…I knew immediately who you were. I felt so guilty about your mom dying and that I wasn't there to help you get through it."

I dropped my gaze and folded my arms, "How much do you know about my father?"

She chuckled, "Oh plenty…I know he never cared for your mom that's for sure."

"How do you know that?" I asked feeling my anger growing.

She glanced at Mark and then at Kane who was standing against the door with his arms folded over his chest.

"Because…we were sleeping together…and still are." She said.

I gasped, "How dare you!"

"Calm down Aria." Mark said.

"No! It's no wonder she treated you the way she did. You wanted a man who could treat you the way my father is treating you."

"Damn right….but when I found out what he did to your mother and the deal he made with Bill…I knew I was wrong and I'm sorry."

I shook my head, "I can't believe what I'm hearing."

"Well believe it ok? I told the police everything…you're father's being arrested as we speak."

I sighed, "Oh God…so where does that leave me?"

Mark rubbed my shoulders, "With me…if you'll stay."

I looked over my shoulder at him, "Are you serious?"

He nodded, "I think everyone can see how deeply I care about you…even Tracy."

I glared at her as he said, "She wasn't wrong that day when she accused me of wanting you. I do want you and I have for a while."

A smile formed on my face as I rubbed my arms. "Alright…but we'll have to keep our relationship quiet…_professor." _

He laughed, "Actually you won't have to call me that anymore if you'll take my next offer."

"Which is?" I asked.

He glanced at Tracy who was grabbing her coat and purse. "I'll see you in divorce court Mark."

"Ok. Thank you for helping me get her back." He told her as she walked to the door.

Kane stepped out of the way with a sigh as Tracy looked back at Mark and nodded. "Take good care of her."

Mark nodded as she turned around and left the apartment. Kane followed her, leaving Mark and I in peace. He walked over to the door and locked it before motioning for me to follow him. I got up from the chair and followed him to his bedroom. He sat down on his bed and patted his thigh for me to sit down. Once I did, he wrapped his arm around me and looked into my eyes with deep passion in them.

"Aria, I need to know something before I ask you this…do you trust me?" he asked.

I smiled and glanced at my lap for a moment, "Yes…yes I do."

He smiled, "Alright do you trust me to completely take care of you?"

I glanced at him but I wasn't certain what was on his mind, "What are you trying to ask me Mark?"

He licked his lips, "I want you to quit school…so I can marry you."

I gasped, "You want to marry _me_?"

"I sure do…I love you more than anything Aria."

I smiled, "Oh wow…Um…but what about me wanting to run a business someday?"

He grinned brightly, "Why do you think I had you trained on a quarter of the store? I can't run it all by myself and I'll need two new hires since the last two loved to stalk the woman I love."

I looked into his eyes and bit my bottom lip. There was passion burning in my heart and a fire flaring through my body as I looked into his gorgeous green eyes.

"You're smart enough to run that shop Aria…that's part of the reason I'm so attracted to you." He said. "Marry me Aria…what do you day?"

I licked my lips and gave it a quick thought before nodding my head, "Yes…let's get married."

He smiled and readjusted me on his lap so that I was straddling him. I couldn't help but press my lips to his, showing how much I truly loved him. It was then that I decided that it was time to give into him. I kissed him sweetly, working my tongue inside of his mouth. He clearly got the hint because he gently grabbed my waist and laid me down on his king sized bed. I ran my fingers through his hair as he kissed my neck and rubbed my spread legs. I tugged at the bottom of his shirt, and slowly pulled it over his head. He smirked and tossed it to the floor before kissing me again. I pulled my shirt off of my body next, showing off my naked form once again.

I heard a shift in his breathing as he looked at my body. A look of wonder filled his eyes and I smiled at him and said, "Fuck me Mark…"

He chuckled, "Oh I plan to baby, I fully intend to fuck the living daylights out of you."

I giggled as he leaned down and kissed me again. He moved down to my breasts and took his time sucking and nibbling on each nipple. I gasped and arched my back, pushing more of my breast into his mouth. After sucking my tits for a few minutes he made a wet trail down my belly, past my navel and down to my sensitive area. He pressed my legs back, parted my lips with his fingers and went to town on my pussy. I tossed my head back yelling, "Damn...Damn…Oh yes!" as his tongue fiddled with my clit. I ended up grabbing my tits and moaning at the top of my lungs as my juices flowed onto the mattress below. After making me experience my very first orgasm, he took off his pants and boxers and kicked them to the floor below. I bit my bottom lip as he shut off the lamp and climbed in the bed with me. I'll admit I was scared as hell at first but looking into his eyes helped me relax myself so he could have his way.

His legs pressed my thighs open as his penis found its way to my opening. He leaned down and kissed me softly before swiftly pushing his large penis inside of me. I tossed my head back into the pillows and released a low scream as a shock of pain filled my body.

Mark kissed my tears away while slowly advancing and drawing back his hips. Soon he got a steady rhythm going and pleasure began taking over my body. When I began meeting him with thrusts of my own, he picked up his pace. I began crying out into the dark loving how good his dick felt inside of me. The bed was squeaking mercilessly underneath us while I held on tight to him. After a few moments of screwing me in that position, he flipped over and told me to get on all fours. I did as he said, letting him reenter me from behind. I closed my eyes and rested my head on its side as he started tearing my pussy up. He was fucking me so hard and fast I could feel and hear his balls slamming against my ass cheeks. Soon I started screaming, literally screaming because I couldn't handle the intensity of the sex but it felt amazing at the same time. I felt my juices running down my legs as he thoroughly fucked me.

"Oh shit you're pussy is so good Aria…" he said as he finally slowed down and laid me on my back again. He grabbed my legs and rested them on his shoulders before sliding his dick back inside of me. I grabbed a hold of one of the bars on the headboard as he fucked me with no mercy. I wasn't sure where he got skills like this…but it felt so damn good and I prayed that it wouldn't end.


	25. Final Shocker

**Readers: **Prepare for one more twist! This series is about to get real!

**Final Shocker**

Mark and I made love off and on throughout that night. I wondered where he got all of that energy from and how I was able to withstand it. I didn't get to sleep until almost four in the morning. As for Mark, he was still awake as I fell asleep so I had no idea what time he went to sleep. It was real nice being able to lay my head on his chest, listening to his heartbeat as he caught his breath. It was the warmth of his body being close to mine that eventually put me to sleep.

Around 10 o'clock the next morning I opened my eyes to the bright sun shining though Mark's windows. I rubbed my eyes and stretched my arms out above my head before looking to my right. Disappointingly, Mark wasn't in the bed with me anymore. I sighed and sat up with a frown, wondering if he was out in the kitchen. To feed my curiosity I got up and walked to his drawer so I could put on one of his shirts. Once I slid it over my body, I headed out of the room to look for him.

A feeling of worry set in when I walked out into the living room and didn't see anyone there. However, there were newspapers, pictures, and torn letters laying all over the floor. I looked around the room again for signs of Mark before walking over to the mess. As I stepped into the living room, a bold headline from the front of the paper caught my eye. When I got closer to it, I saw that it was dated back to the night my mom died. Her picture was on the front of the paper too along with a photo of the paramedics carrying a body from a house. I also saw my father holding me tightly in his arms and crying hard. I didn't understand why Mark would have all of this until I read the bold headline…

"**Obsessed Man Kills His Best Friend in Cold Blood and is still on the Loose." ** I dropped my gaze to the paragraph and read the story out loud.

"On Thursday April 27, Dave Bautista walked into his fiancé's home to pick up their 4 year old daughter Aria, only to find his fiancé lying face down in the kitchen in a pool of her own blood. Her daughter was sitting on the floor crying her little heart out and telling her father that her mommy wouldn't wake up.

"I was terrified." Said Dave, "It wasn't something I was expecting to see at all."

"Dave went on to say that he had just spoke to Arica only 20 minutes before and that her friend 19 year old Mark Calaway had just stopped by for a visit. Mark's fingerprints were not only found on the knife used to stab Arica in the chest over 15 times, but they were found on her daughter's arms and legs as well. Mark Calaway is still at large and is considered to be armed…and dangerous. If anyone has any idea where we may be able to find him you're asked to give Richmond police headquarters a call."

My heart started pounding as I let the newspaper fall to the ground. That couldn't be right could it? Did Mark really murder my mother? I took a deep breath and dropped to my knees, picking up the photographs and letters all over the place. Most of the letters were poems…poems from a stalker like mine. I then looked at some of the pictures and saw that they were of my mom and dad, taken at a distance. Last, I caught sight of an old yearbook photo of my mom in cheerleading. There was a red circle around her body and the word, "MINE" written next to it.

"Oh…Oh God no…" I whispered.

"Yes actually."

My eyes widened upon hearing Mark's voice. I glanced in the direction it was coming from and saw him standing in the doorway of the bathroom. I stood up slowly without taking my eyes off of him.

"Mark…what's going on? What is all this?"

He smirked and slowly walked into the room. "Isn't it obvious baby girl? You've been seriously misguided…"

I swallowed the saliva that pooled in my mouth before backing into a wall. He kept approaching me slowly with a sinister grin on his face.

"Your mom was so beautiful to look at Aria…and she loved to tease me with her charms. I thought we had something at one point but…then she went and got pregnant to your pitiful father."

"That's why you killed her?" I asked as a tear fell from my face.

"That's why I _had_ to doll face." He said.

I began to tremble as the space between us became gradually smaller, "So…you're the one who's truly been stalking me then?"

"You got it toots." He said.

"But I thought Bill and Chris-"

"-Bill and Chris are my right hand men…Bill knew the entire time that I murdered your mother…and agreed to help me since the bitch wasn't really his blood anyways."

More tears fell from my eyes, "And what about Tracy and Kane? Are they in on this too?"

"Of course not. Tracy only heard that your mom was killed by your father, but she never thought to look up the facts. If she would have she'd be dead too. As for Kane, he's too hung up with his new girlfriend to keep up with me and my plans."

"I can't believe this." I whispered as I dropped my gaze from his close presence. He grabbed my throat tightly, scaring the hell out of me before lifting me off my feet. I grabbed a hold of his wrist with both of my hands and gasped for air.

"Well believe it baby girl because you and I are going to be together for a real long time. I didn't get that happy ending with your mother, so you'll do just fine."

I could feel my body shutting down as he squeezed my throat even tighter. I dug my nails into his arm before swinging my leg and kicking him in the balls. He grunted before letting me drop to the ground. I held onto my throat and coughed before making a run for it.

"Aria! If you walk out of that door I'll hunt you down and gut you like a fish!"

That threat would have stopped me back when I was a scared little child, but it didn't stop me now. I grabbed his car keys and booked it out of there with him in pursuit. I didn't bother to scream as I made my way to the parking garage and found his black pickup truck.

"Come here you little bitch!" He yelled as I unlocked the door and hopped inside. I quickly shut the door and pressed the automatic lock to seal the doors shut. He ended up making it to the driver's side and punched a hole through the window.

I screamed and bit down on his arm before putting the key in the ignition and getting that sucker into drive. Before he could pull me out of the truck, I slammed my bare foot on the gas and rode towards the entrance of the parking garage. He was holding on at first but when I turned the corner he released me. I smiled a little as I glanced in the rearview mirror and saw him just staring at me. I needed to get as far away from this maniac as possible…and I knew exactly where I would go.

**The End to Part 2 **There will be a part three!


	26. Part 3 Hiding

**Readers: **Sorry this chapter is a little short. I've got to work early tomorrow but I'll try to have some posted later on tomorrow afternoon =)

**Hiding**

Before leaving Texas I had stopped at my old apartment and dug out the small safe I kept hidden in my desk drawer. It contained $3,000 in cash along with a few other important papers. I changed my clothes and packed the rest of my clothes before quickly getting back into his truck. I had driven halfway to Florida before ditching Mark's truck and heading to the bus station to ride the rest of the way there. I hadn't slept at all. The only thing that was on my mind was how in the world I fell for a man like Mark. How could I be so blind not to see that he was my true stalker? I kept replaying everything in my head from the time we first met, up until the night we made love. A tear fell from my eye as I recalled telling him over and over again how much I loved him. It was a perfect night and he seemed like the perfect man for me.

Rain began to pour as the bus crossed the border into Jacksonville, Florida. When the bus came to a stop I grabbed my purse and small suitcase and exited with the other passengers. I wasted no time getting inside of the station and finding a pay phone so I could call my father. I really needed him at this point more than anything.

"Hello?" my father answered.

"Hi daddy." I said.

He gasped, "Aria? Girl where are you? I've been calling you for-"

"Dad I'm here in Jacksonville…." I said as I began to cry. "Mark Calaway is after me."

He fell silent for a moment as I cried into the phone. "Dad he's been in my life for 5 months now…and I had no idea he was mom's killer…why didn't you tell me!"

A soft sigh came from his breath, "I'm sorry honey, I thought that bastard was long gone."

I sniffled, "Look can you please come pick me up. I'm at the bus station."

"Ok sweetie just hang tight." He said before hanging up. I leaned against the wall and cried my heart out. My entire life was changing and it was my entire fault.

When my father arrived to pick me up, He threw his arms around me and held me tight before kissing my forehead. After that he placed my suitcase in the trunk of his Range Rover and then helped me into the passenger seat. I felt safer with my father around although I knew that Mark would track me down eventually. For now we were safe since no one knew about my father's private vacation home in Jacksonville. He only came here during the Christmas season since he hated the cold and I was arriving just in time for Christmas.

"Are you alright?" he asked me on the way over to the house.

I shrugged and folded my arms, "I don't know dad…I should have listened to Uncle Bryan."

He glanced at me, "Bryan knew about Mark being around you?"

I nodded and dropped my gaze, "He knew a whole lot more about me that you do."

"Damn it Aria…why don't you tell me things?" he asked. "That crazy bastard could have killed you if you wouldn't have figured things out in time."

I glared at him, "Excuse me but you're the one who never told me about mom's death in full! If you would have told me I would have never went to work for him! Hell I could have gotten my classes changed to avoid him!"

He cleared his throat, "Ok you've got a point there…but I didn't think he would ever go after you in that way."

I leaned my head back against the headrest, wondering if I should tell him that I slept with him. I knew it would send him into a rampage and I really couldn't risk that. We were silent for the rest of the drive each of us with different thoughts of worry on our minds. I prayed that me being back with my father would cause Mark to keep his distance. Maybe I would get lucky and he would just stay away from me all together. I kept seeing his face in my mind over and over again. I just didn't understand how a man that once looked at me with such love and care in his eyes, could now see me as a target of his evil schemes.


	27. Admitting The Truth

**Admitting The Truth**

When we arrived at the house a feeling of great relief sunk in. The place was beautiful as hell and so much fun to be in. It was all white with palm trees outlining the stone wall surrounding the house. I always felt like a princess when the gates opened up to let us inside. The house itself was big enough to be considered a small castle. It was two stories with four bedrooms and three bathrooms. There was one big kitchen with state of the art appliances and two different living rooms, one of which my father never let anyone sit in. There was a wonderful ocean view in the backyard that could be seen from the balcony in the bedroom he had specially made for me.

I smiled softly upon walking into my room. Nothing had changed since the last time I was there. The entire room was decked out in pink and white with a giant doll house sitting on top of my dresser. I had dozens of teddy bears and other stuffed animals sitting on my bed along with white curtains that were tied back near the head board.

My dad sat my suitcase down near my bed and then opened up the huge white curtain that shielded the sunlight from coming into my room.

"Are you going to be alright?" he asked.

I nodded as I picked up a teddy bear and hugged it close to my body.

"Alright, well lay down and get some rest. I'll be downstairs if you need anything ok?" he asked.

"Ok dad." I said as I started moving the teddy bears out of the way.

He walked up to me and gently placed his hands on my shoulders. "I'm really sorry I didn't tell you everything Aria. I was only trying to protect you."

I smiled as he kissed the side of my head and then left the room. I sighed and finished getting my bed ready so I could lay down. Lord knows I really needed the sleep after the long trip I had. I was just hoping that Mark wouldn't find his way to me any time soon.

After sleeping for a few hours, I got up and got myself all cleaned before joining my father downstairs in the kitchen. I heard him talking to my uncle before I made it down there so I slowed down to listen to their conversation.

"I can't believe you knew she was around him the entire time." My dad snapped. "What the fuck were you thinking Bryan!"

My uncle sighed, "Oh come on Dave, I didn't think he would know that she was Arica's daughter. Besides…I did warn her to quit working there."

My dad sighed heavily, "Well you didn't try hard enough. I sent you out there to check on her and you completely threw her to the wolves."

"_I _threw her to the wolves? Excuse me but whose idea was it to allow her to go out of state for schooling?" my uncle snapped.

"Hey I wanted her to stay close but she didn't want to. I can't stop her from wanting to explore other places."

"Well she was doing a whole lot of exploring that's for sure."

My father fell silent, "What the hell is that supposed to mean?"

I closed my eyes and stepped into the entrance of the kitchen. I knew my father would find out eventually what I had done while I was in school, so it was only fair if he heard it from me.

"I was a stripper." I said.

My father glanced at me with a blank look on his face. "Excuse me?"

I dropped my eyes from his and rubbed my arms. "I was a stripper dad…"

He dropped his mixing spoon into the pan and sighed heavily. "You've got to be fucking kidding me…Aria how could you do something like that?"

I shrugged and walked over to the table to sit down. "I didn't know what else to do. College isn't cheap and I was making more money than the average fry cook."

"Yea but Aria you weren't raised like that!" he snapped. "If I would have known you had the balls to take off your clothes for money, I would have had you doing online schooling!"

"Bro calm down." My uncle said. "She didn't work there after I came along and talked her out of it."

"Actually Mark did." I said softly. "He was paying me to work at his shop during this semester."

My father chuckled, "He only did it to get close to you…that bastard."

I gave it some thought and then leaned my head on my fist, "Yeah well that bastard had me real convinced that he and mom were best friends and that he never knew of her death. I feel so stupid…"

"You shouldn't Aria." Bryan said as he looked over his shoulder at me. "Mark was always good with the ladies."

I turned away from them for a moment, thinking about the last night I spent with Mark. It was true…he was good with the ladies, especially with me. I just didn't understand how he could give me the best sexual experience and then turn out to be the person who killed my mother. It just didn't make sense.

"Are you alright?" my dad asked.

"Yeah. I'm just trying to understand how I missed all of this." I said. "He seemed too nice you know?"

They both nodded and then my uncle looked at me, "Well you know it's true what they say…you can't judge a book by it's cover."

I smiled. "Ain't that the truth. I guess I better keep my eyes peeled from now on."

"Yes ma'am." Bryan said with a smile.

"I can't believe you were a stripper." My father said as he shook his head.

My uncle laughed, "Why does that surprise you? Her mother was a stripper before she died."

My eyes lit up, "What!"

"Uh-huh, Arica's stage name was Diamond and boy was she the best stripper ever."

My father threw a spoon at his brother's head, "Hey! I told you not to think about her in that way!"

"You're right I'm sorry man." He said as he rubbed his head.

I giggled. "Well I'm sorry dad but at least I got by with all the money. How else do you think I got here?"

He nodded, "Yeah I guess you're right…but that still bugs me to know that my own daughter was exploiting herself in order to make a pretty penny. You didn't have to do that honey."

"Oh Dave would you give it a fucking rest!" Bryan snapped. "You're the one that cut her off!"

"Bryan mind your own damn business! What I do with my daughter has nothing to do with you!"

I laughed as they kept exchanging words. This made me happy to be back in the safety of my family. Question was, how safe was I and for how long?


	28. A Father's Love

**A Father's Love**

Over the following month and a half, my father did what he could to keep me safe. I barley left the house unless I was with him and if he had to leave on a MMA trip, he would always leave me with security or take me with him. Although I was enjoying being around my father, I was somewhat missing my old life in Texas. I missed waking up early in the morning, getting all dolled up, and heading into school. I missed reaching goals and having that feeling of success in my heart. Hell…I even missed having Alberto as an enemy. But what I missed the most was my best friend Sami. I felt like I needed her more than anything right now, and I would do anything to see her again.

"Hey,"

I looked up from the book I was reading at the sound of my father's voice. I was sitting on the balcony upstairs in my bedroom one morning and he was coming to check on me.

"Hey dad, what's up?" I asked.

He shrugged and handed me a glass of freshly squeezed orange juice, "Nothing I was just coming to see how you were."

"Oh I'm alright dad. Just enjoying a good book." I said with a smile.

He smiled, "Glad to see you smile…I haven't seen that in a long time."

"And I haven't seen you this close to me in a while." I said. "It feels nice."

He glanced out at the open sky and then back at me, "Well it's nice to have you around. I'll have to admit going away on my trips tears me apart. I hate leaving you."

I smiled at him warmly and then took a sip of my orange juice. "Dad…tell me more about mom. You barely talk about her."

He dropped his head for a second and then sighed, "Your mom was a wonderful woman Aria. We were sure that we were deeply in love at first sight."

I turned onto my side and watched him as he told the story. I almost felt like a child again back when he used to read me bed time stories.

"As you know…she got pregnant with you very early in her teenage years. After you were born, life was pretty hard. I had to go to school, then watch you while your mom went to work…then give you back go to sleep, get up and do it all over again. I had no freedom and neither did your mom."

"Were grandma and grandpa mad?" I asked.

"That's the whole reason life was hard. You mom's mother never took an interest in your life since Arica was adopted. Your mom did it all on her own with my help…and Mark's…."

I noticed the twitch in his face when he mentioned Mark's name. I sighed and finally asked the question I'd been dying to know. "Dad…why did you hate Mark so much?"

"Your mom loved him." He said as he glanced out at the open beach.

I chuckled, "Of course she did they were best friends."

He shook his head, "No Aria, I mean she really loved him…I could tell by how often they were together. They acted like a couple…at one point I questioned whether or not you were my daughter. I got a DNA test to be sure."

I sighed, "Then how in the hell can you call him a murderer?"

He looked at me, "How can't I Aria? It's obvious that he was jealous of our relationship."

"Yeah but dad, in the time I got to know him I never once thought he was a murderer." I said.

He looked at me blankly for a moment and then narrowed his eyes, "And just how close did you get to him Aria?"

"Not that close…he was my boss and my professor dad." I said trying hard not to let it slip that I had slept with Mark.

"Yeah but you act as if you two were a lot closer than that Aria." He said as he sat a little closer to the edge of his seat.

I bit my bottom lip and then turned away from him. I had to tell him something to get him off my back, but I wasn't sure what. Then it came to me.

"He was a regular customer at the club…we talked a lot." I said.

"He was a what! Aria!" he yelled.

I sighed, "Dad calm down. He never had me take off anything for him…we talked outside of the club where people could see us…a man that has that type of respect for women wouldn't kill them."

"Oh yeah? So how do you explain his prints being on the murder weapon?" he asked. "And on you! What the hell was he doing touching you?"

I glanced away, "You've got a point…"

"Look Aria. That man tricked you into believing that he was innocent. Why are you questioning it now?"

I rubbed the back of my neck and blinked back tears. "It's nothing dad…I'm just having trouble believing that mom befriended someone that ultimately killed her."

"It does happen nowadays honey." He said. "Your mom just happened to become one of those victims."

I nodded and wiped a fresh tear from my face. Suddenly, I felt a strange rumble in my stomach that made me wince.

"Are you ok?" he asked.

I nodded at first but the rumbling got even worse. "Ooohh. I don't feel too good."

"Uh-uh…go to the bathroom if you think you're going to be sick. I'm not cleaning it up if you throw up."

I giggled a little and then got up to head to the bathroom. Upon getting there, I threw up my entire lunch. I thought maybe I was sick from the tuna fish sandwich I had earlier that day, but I continued throwing up over those next several days. Soon my father decided to take me to the hospital.

"Dad I'm sure it's just the stomach flu." I explained.

He shook his head, "Aria you're as pale as a ghost and you barley walk around the house. You need to be seen by a doctor."

I laid my head back against the wall of the waiting room and groaned. "But dad-"

"-No but's Aria you're seeing the doctor."

I rolled my eyes and then ran to the bathroom when my stomach rumbled again. After empting my stomach I came back and the nurse was right there waiting for me.

"Do you want me to go back with you?" my dad asked.

I nodded my head and then followed the nurse to the back. She got me all checked for my height, weight, and then my temperature. She also got a urine sample and drew some blood from my arm.

"Yikes…101.9 degrees." She said as she checked the thermometer. "Please change into this hospital gown and the doctor will be right in to see you."

I nodded before she left the room. My dad sighed and shook his head at me.

"I knew you were sick." He said.

I rolled my eyes and headed into the bathroom to change out of my clothes. I swear that man worried too much. This was clearly just a little stomach bug I caught. As I was changing I saw an unused tampon laying on the floor by the trash can. It was then that I realized that I hadn't had a period in almost two months…I counted back the weeks it had been since my last period and remembered that Mark was my very first sexual partner.

I sighed with relief, "Nothing to worry about…periods normally get messed up after having sex for the first time."

After getting changed I headed back into the room and sat down on the bed. My father was glancing out of the window until the doctor walked in followed by the nurse.

"Hello there, I'm Dr. Thomas." He said as he shook my hand. "How are you feeling Miss. Bautista?"

I sighed, "Not too well. I've been throwing up often lately."

"Yeah that's what I hear." He said before checking my chart. "Tell me something Aria, have you been feeling weaker than normal?"

"Definitely." I answered.

"Have you been sleeping through the night?" He asked as he wrote my answers down on his chart.

I sighed, "Not that much. I can barely keep anything down."

He nodded, "Alright, well I'm going to have you stay here for the night so we can keep you under observation ok? Your blood work won't be done until tomorrow morning and we don't want you going home and having any accidents. The nurse is going to start you on an IV and then we'll have you get some rest alright?"

I glanced back at my father who reassured me that I'd be ok. Truth is, I didn't feel as though I'd be ok. I felt so weak and my body was in pain. After the nurse got me all set up, I relaxed in the bed and fell asleep holding my father's hand. He was so worried about me that he ended up falling asleep in the room. Neither of us knew what news we were going to receive that next morning….and neither of us were prepared for it either.


	29. Mother To Be

**Mother To Be**

That following morning I woke up feeling a little better. The pain had ceased but my stomach still felt like mush. The nurse came in and gave me a bowl of soup to help settle my stomach. To my surprise the soup was excellent and nicely did the trick.

"You feeling alright?" my dad asked for the millionth time.

I sighed, "Yes dad would you relax?"

"I'm sorry honey I'm just worried that's all." He said. "At least some of your color has returned."

I smiled, "See, now that's positive."

He shook his head and continued reading his newspaper. A few minutes later, Bryan walked into the room bringing a smile to my face. He had a bouquet of roses in his hand that seriously reminded me of the ones I got from the stalker but I shook it off. He hugged me and then kissed my forehead before sitting the vase of flowers down on the bedside table.

"How are you feeling?" he asked.

I shrugged, "I'm alright I guess."

He smiled and glanced at my dad, "Has the doctor told you anything yet?"

"No but we're hoping that he comes soon so we'll know what's going on."

I leaned my head back onto my pillow and sighed, "With my luck I'll probably have the flu or something…"

They chuckled just before the doctor walked in. I tensed up feeling as though I was about to get a death sentence. The doctor pulled up a stool and had a seat next to my bed.

"Alright Miss. Bautista I've got some questions to ask you first ok?"

I nodded as my father sat up straighter in his chair.

"Can you tell me when your last period was?" he asked.

"About a month and a half ago. I'm due to start next week." I answered truthfully.

He nodded and then sighed, "Well if I were you I wouldn't be expecting another period for about 7 months."

I blinked several times and glanced at my dad for a second. "What are you talking about?"

He glanced at my father and uncle and then back at me, "According to your urinalysis and your blood work you have high levels of hCG in your system."

"What the hell is hCG?" my uncle asked.

"hCG is a pregnancy hormone….you've been pregnant for almost two months Miss. Bautista."

I gasped in disbelief while my father stood to his feet in a rage, "You're pregnant Aria! But I thought I taught you not to have sex until you're married!"

I sighed as my uncle got up and left the room.

"Gentlemen please remain calm." The doctor said. "It's very important if you don't lose your cool with her in this stage of her pregnancy. Any amount of stress can be harmful to her and the baby."

"I don't fucking believe this…who's the father Aria?" my father asked.

I turned away from him, still stricken with shock and fear from my father's outburst.

"Answer me young lady…." He said.

I folded my arms. "It's just some guy from school. I haven't seen him since that night."

My father growled in a rage, "Aria Renee Bautista….if you don't tell me the fucking truth I swear to God I'll cut you off from this family completely!"

"Mr. Bautista please relax," the doctor said as I began to cry. "You really need to remain calm."

"Don't tell me how to talk to my daughter. She doesn't need to have a child anyway!" he snapped.

I looked at him in raged, "How dare you sit here and treat me like a child! I'm a grown ass woman dad and I WILL be having this baby!"

"My dad shook his head, "Just tell me who the father is Aria…tell me right now."

I stared into my father's eyes wishing I could tell him telepathically but I knew it was impossible. My bottom lip began to tremble as I saw Mark's smiling face in my mind and then my father smashing it to pieces.

"Mark….the father is Mark." I said before breaking down into tears.

My father's face went pale before sighed and pulled me into his chest. "Oh Aria, I'm so sorry…honey calm down ok? I didn't mean to yell at you like that…calm down so we can talk about this."

I wiped my eyes as the doctor turned and left the room. My dad sat on my bed and held my hand as I calmed myself down. He wrapped one arm around my shoulders and gently rubbed my arm.

"No wonder you didn't think he really killed your mother…you're in love with him aren't you?" he asked.

I nodded and wiped my eyes. "I love him so much but I can't help but think he was set up."

"You don't think I set him up do you?" he asked.

"Did you?" I asked as I looked up into his face.

He shook his head, "No Aria. I mean sure I was upset about how close he and your mom were, but I would never hurt your mother and I would never do something like that to anyone."

I nodded seeing the sincerity in his eyes. I should have known that my father wasn't behind such a crime like that. He wouldn't have been able to live with himself if he murdered my mom. I needed to find some more clues and I needed to start with him.

"How far away was the school Mark went to after high school?" I asked.

My dad sighed, "About an hour away from where we use to live why?"

"What time did you go over to mom's that day you found her?" I asked.

"Around 9:30pm." He said. "Why?"

I turned away from him for a moment. "How did you know that Mark had stopped by to see her."

"Because Bryan told me he did." He answered. "Your uncle was at her house at 6 trying to help her cook."

"So then you lied to police when you told them that she told you that Mark was at the house." I said.

He nodded with a sigh, "Yeah…I was so enraged that I never even thought to rethink everything he told me."

I nodded, "Did you ever get to read mom's autopsy report?"

"No…I didn't think it mattered." He said.

"Well It might dad. For all you know there could be a clue in there that proves that Mark is innocent. He couldn't have did this."

"So then why run you away from him?" my dad asked in wonder.

I looked off into space finally seeing the truth, "To draw out the real killer…the real killer could be after me or you."

He nodded, "Alright…I'll see if I can get your mother's autopsy report and I'll leave it in your room before I leave tomorrow morning."

I raised my eyebrow. "Where are you going?"

"I've got a fight in Miami tomorrow night. I was supposed to leave this morning but you were sick. You're always first in my life honey."

I smiled and then hugged him, "Thanks so much for listening to me."

"No problem honey, let's just hope you're right."

I nodded with a smile and then got up so I could get dressed and go home. The entire drive I kept my hand on my belly feeling so happy to soon become a mother. I just hoped that the father wasn't a guilty man.


	30. The Real Stalker

**The Real Stalker**

I spent some time resting when my father took me home. I knew I was going to need it since I had a lot of research to do in order to figure out if Mark was truly guilty or not. That next day I woke up and found my mother's autopsy report sitting on my desk. I smiled loving how serious my father was about helping me find out the truth. I just prayed that he didn't end up being in the middle of it.

I slid into a satin robe and then took a seat at the desk. I took a deep breath to prepare myself to see the photos of my mother's mutilated body. I slowly opened up the report and quietly read the details and checked the crime scene photos. I must have spent at least an hour or so looking through it thoroughly until I spotted something that Mark never mentioned. I picked up my cell and called my father.

"What did you find?" he asked upon answering.

I smiled, "Well…it turns out that the stab wounds aren't what killed mom. In fact, they were placed there postmortem."

"In English Aria." He said.

I sighed, "It means whoever stabbed mom multiple times did it after she died."

"Ok so how did she really die then?" he asked.

"Poison…there was rat poison found in her liver and stomach." I said with a frown. "Someone fed this to mom and then stabbed her repeatedly."

He sighed, "Jesus…well why weren't the police told?"

I checked the file again and found the answer, "Because you opted for mom's autopsy report to be sealed dad. The police would have known if you would have let them check her records."

"Damn…so I guess Mark really is innocent."

I sighed, "Not completely…I'll have to find him first to know for sure."

"How are you going to do that?" he asked.

I got up from the desk and wandered around the room, "By letting the real killer come to me."

"No…I don't fucking think so." He snapped.

"Dad if we're going to end this we'll have to do it this way. Mark clearly wanted me to run away for a reason…and this is it."

He sighed, "I'm coming home."

"You can't you have a match and I'm starting to think that this killer wants me alone if he's going to make an appearance."

"You won't be alone…I already texted Bryan this morning and told him to come check on you."

I rolled my eyes, "Dad!"

"Aria I'm not going to let anything happen to you or that baby. Now as soon as I can, I'll be coming home."

"But dad-"

CLICK.

I sighed heavily and shut my cell phone. I couldn't believe my father was about to allow me to live in fear of a killer who will only come for me when I'm alone. I rubbed the back of my neck and walked back to my desk to close the file on my mom. After that, I headed downstairs to make myself some breakfast.

While getting a skillet down from the cabinet, I started thinking about the little baby growing inside of me. I wondered whose eyes he or she would have and whose color they would get. I also wondered if their father was truly innocent or not. It scared the living daylights out of me to think he could go to jail for murdering my mom. I would also feel so stupid for giving him everything including my own body. I wished I could take that night back…at least until I knew for sure if he was innocent or not.

Later on that day I got on the computer and began searching for outfits for my baby. While I was doing that, my Uncle Bryan came into the house with food from the Chinese restaurant.

"Hey. How are you?" he asked.

I shrugged, "I'm alright just wish this could all be over with."

He nodded and headed to the kitchen, "Are you hungry?"

I was about to say yes when I remembered that Chinese food normally made me sick. "No I'm good. I'm not really a Chinese fanatic."

"Awe but I bought enough for the two of us." He said. "I even made sure that yours was specially made."

I sighed and got up from the desk so I could go check out the food. It did smell good, but something about it told me that I wouldn't enjoy it at all.

"No I think I'll stick to my soup." I said as I walked over to the cabinet to get a can of soup.

"Alright suit yourself." He said. "So your dad tells me that you think Mark is innocent of the crime."

I nodded and pulled out the can opener. "That's right. I really think he was trying to scare me so the real killer would show himself."

He fell quiet for a moment. "Really."

"Uh-huh." I said as the lid popped off of my can.

I listened as he fiddled with the bag and then sighed. "So have you found anything new about the case?"

I poured the soup into a pot and then turned the stove on low. "I sure did but before I say anything, can you tell me what you remember about that night?"

He was silent once again for a few seconds and then cleared his throat. "Well…I went over there around 6 o'clock to help her out with the cooking. You were in your playpen at the time and she and I were in the kitchen preparing for Mark to get there."

I smiled at the mention of Mark's name.

"Arica was so excited to see him…when he got there he and I got into a heated argument and I left. It was about 7 when I left…I knew I should have stayed there. I could have stopped her from eating that pie with the rat poison in it."

I froze for a moment and then shut off the stove. "Uncle Bryan…how did you know about the poison?"

He started laughing softly at first and then much louder. I looked over my shoulder and saw him holding his sides in laughter. When he finally stopped, he wiped his eyes of the tears and then sighed.

"I knew you would grow up to be a smart girl…and sexy too…" he said as he began taking steps towards me.

My heart began to pound, "Oh my God…you…you…"

"Killed your mother? Yes ma'am I did…." He said. "And I got away with it clean."

"But I don't understand." I said. "Mark's fingerprints-"

"Were on the murder weapon? Yes because he was stupid enough to pull the knife from her chest when he found her dead. Your mother had eaten the pie way before Mark got to the house which gave me time to slip on the gloves and stab her repeatedly in her chest. Next I picked you up from your playpen and placed you next to her. Oh he was so distraught when he saw her lying in the kitchen dead as a ghost with you crying next to her."

I backed away from him in horror, "Why? Why did you do that to her?"

"Because she refused to leave Dave to be with me! The two of us had plenty of late night rendezvous' whenever Dave wasn't home…plus I could have taken care of you both all by myself."

I gasped when my back hit the wall, "So you're the one who was stalking me?"

He smirked, "Oh yes dear, but I did have help from Bill and Chris. They were the perfect cover to keep you off my tracks…but not once did I expect Mark to get to you before I did."

I placed my hands on my flat stomach as he stepped in close to me. "What are you going to do now?"

He laughed in my ear, "I don't know…part of me wants to take you upstairs and get what I want…while the other half of me wants to kill you for carrying another man's baby."

I trembled, "Well you might as well keep those choices…because I'm not letting you do either!"

With all my might I kicked him between the legs and then shoved him to the ground before taking off to the back of the house. I needed to get away from this maniac and fast before he killed me and my unborn child.


	31. Final Blowout

**Final Blowout**

I picked up my pace when I heard him coming up behind me. The moment my hand grabbed the door handle, he grabbed me by the back of my head and shoved me head first through the glass door. I laid there groaning in pain as the alarm sounded and my deranged uncle stepped through the broken door.

"Oh my sweet niece…and here I was thinking that we would be a great couple." He said as he stood next to me. "But no…you went and got yourself pregnant!"

Without warning he kicked me in my belly, making me roll onto my back with a loud scream. I heard something crack as I rolled over and then pain surfaced all through my body.

"Your mother did that to me as well…for a minute I thought you might have been my daughter." He said as he got down on top of me and yanked me up by the front of my shirt. "Since you're not my kid, I think I'll kill you instead."

I coughed up blood and said, "And what will you tell my father?"

He laughed, "Oh that's an easy one. I'll tell him how I got here to check on you, and the police were swarming the place…he'll know that I was too late to save you from Mark's wrath."

I shook my head and then laughed, "He'll never believe you…I know it."

"Oh and how so?"

Before I could say anything else, he punched me in the face and then got up and picked up my legs. I coughed up more blood as it began to seep from my nose.

"Help…Help me please!" I screamed as he dragged me towards the door that led to the beach.

He laughed wickedly, "Awe what's the matter pumpkin? Don't you and the little one want to take a swim?"

I started crying and screaming, thinking that my life was about to be over. When we reached the door he put down my legs and then kicked me in my side to keep me from moving. He then walked to the door, whipped it open and then froze where he stood. I closed my eyes for a moment as more pain rose in my ribs. That's when I heard his voice.

"Surprise asshole,"

I glanced up towards the door and smiled brightly when I saw Mark standing on the other side of it. He was wearing a black vest and a pair of black leather pants. He had a gun pointed directly at Bryan's forehead making him raise his arms in defense.

"Well, well, well…if it isn't Mark Calaway…you here to save your little girlfriend?" he asked.

Mark chuckled, "Not just me…."

I heard a click come from my right so I looked and was shocked to see Shawn coming out of a bush pointing a gun at Bryan. I also heard a click to my left and knew immediately that it had to be my father.

Bryan laughed, "Oh so this is how it's going to go down? You bastards really think you're going to kill me? Why not put down the guns and fight me like men?"

Mark chuckled, "I thought you would never ask."

I watched as Mark threw his gun at Bryan's forehead and then the two began to throw down in the yard. As they exchanged blows, Shawn and my father ran to my side to help me up. My father ended up scooping me up in his arms because I could barely move. I began to cry as he carried me to the front of the house. I was afraid that something may be wrong with my baby due to the thunderous kicks delivered by my uncle.

"My baby…my baby…" I cried as my father handed me off to the paramedics.

"It's alright honey, everything is going to be fine." My dad said before turning to head back into the house.

"We've got to get her to the hospital." Shawn said as he hopped into the ambulance.

I shook my head, "No! I want Mark here with me!"

"Honey he wants you to get checked out. He'll meet you there later." He explained before the paramedic placed an oxygen mask on my face and got an IV in my arm. I was over joyed to see Mark and to know that he was truly innocent.

I was rushed into the ER as soon as I got to the hospital. Shawn was forced to stay out in the waiting room while they got me changed and all cleaned up. They then took me for x-rays and did an ultrasound to determine if the baby was ok. To my surprise and utter delight, the baby hadn't been harmed at all. As for me, I had three bruised ribs and a concussion. I kind of giggled because I was sure he'd broken something, but I guess he hit like a bitch. After my checkup I was placed in my own room to rest for a while. I wasn't able to sleep though until my father, Shawn, and Mark came into the room to check on me.

I couldn't help but throw my arms around Mark's neck when he came to my bedside and woke me up with a kiss to my forehead. I didn't want to let him go at first, but I knew I had to so we could all talk. After I adjusted my bed into an upright position before my father stepped up and hugged me.

"Are you ok?" he asked.

I smiled, "I am now…"

He nodded and held my hand as Mark held my other hand. My dad glanced at us with a soft smile on his face before clearing his throat.

"I suppose we better tell her everything."

Mark nodded as Shawn took a seat at the foot of the bed.

"Where should I begin?" Mark asked.

I shrugged, "I don't think you guys need to explain…it's obvious you three have had this planned for a while."

They exchanged looks and then my dad sighed, "Come on Shawn…I think these two kids need some time alone."

"Agreed." Shawn said before leaving the room with my dad.

As soon as they were gone, Mark smiled down at me and then slowly bent his head down and kissed my lips. When he pulled away I gently slapped his cheek, catching him by surprise.

"How dare you use me to draw out my uncle." I said.

He sighed, "I'm sorry Aria…I didn't want to use you at all really. I knew it was too dangerous."

"Then whose idea was it?" I asked.

"Your dad's," he answered. "When we figured out that Bryan was the real killer, we all devised a plan in order to catch him…I'll admit…I wasn't supposed to fall in love with you but…I did."

I smiled, "So how long has this plan been going on?"

"Since I first contacted your father about you going to college in Texas, we thought Bryan would follow you and he did, but like I said…I fell in love with you and started to feel myself slipping."

"Slipping? Was it a slip to make love to me?" I asked.

He laughed, "Actually…I did that on purpose. I knew that it would be tough for me to find you once I made you run from me…so…"

I looked down at his hand as it slid onto my flat stomach. "…you got me pregnant on purpose."

"Bingo." He said. "I knew that once your dad admitted you to the hospital I would be able to find you better."

I shook my head with a smile, "Wow…so what happened to Bryan?"

He cracked his neck and then his bare knuckles, "Let's just say he ate a ton of soup bones for dinner tonight."

I laughed and shook my head knowing exactly what that meant. I could tell that Mark was a brawler and that my uncle didn't stand a chance in hell with him.

He chuckled, "So…tell me something, are you still up for my offer?"

I started laughing, "Wait. You use me as bait and still want me to be your wife?"

"Hell yea I do." He said. "Besides if you were really that upset, you would have kicked me out the minute I walked in here."

Knowing he was right I rolled my eyes playfully and then pulled him down to kiss me. "As soon as I'm all healed, and our baby is born…I'll be more than happy to become the new Mrs. Calaway."

He laughed and kissed me deeply. I ended up pulling him on top of me for a moment, missing him being this close to me. I almost told him to take me right there, but I knew I was in no shape for his intense love making.

"I love you so much Mark." I whispered as he pulled away and climbed off the bed.

"I love you too baby…" he said before kissing me again. I was so happy to be back in his arms and ready to tie my life to his.


	32. A Happy Ending

**A Happy Ending**

"Ah! Oh my gosh Shyann you have got to be kidding me!" I yelled in astonishment. It had been four long months since my uncle was taken to jail and moving on with life was getting better by the day. I moved back to Texas with Mark three weeks after I got out of the hospital. My father headed back to Washington D.C. and continued his MMA career. It was real nice hearing from him every now and then. He was still pretty shaken up about all the damage I suffered from the attack. I swore I didn't know when he would realize that I was just as strong as he was. Sure my body was still a little sore at times, but Mark made up for that.

Shyann shook her head and swallowed the orange juice that was in her mouth. She and Kane had been a frequent visitor since Mark and I moved into our new house. Shawn also was a frequent visitor along with Sami. Seeing her after so long was the most incredible feeling I had ever felt. It was then that Shawn explained to me that he felt better about taking Sami away in order to get me completely by myself. He knew that with Sami around that Bryan would eventually get tired of her and possibly try to get rid of her. He had to keep her safe so, he pretended to hate me and told me all those hurtful things in order to make sure Sami and I wouldn't speak.

"Girl yes." Shyann said. "Kane has some _very_ intimate skills…I never thought my legs could be spread so far apart."

"Ahhhh!" Sami and I screamed together. "Oh my goodness!"

Shyann laughed, "What? I'm just keeping it real."

"So…how big is he?" Sami asked.

"Sami!" I screamed. "That is none of our business."

Sami chuckled, "Oh please, she just told us how the man laid her on his kitchen table, yanked her panties off, spread her legs nice and wide and plowed the hell out of her….I don't think she'll mind if we know what good old Kane is packing."

I blushed and hid my face in my hands, "Oh my gosh…"

Shyann licked her lips and then put up her hands about a foot apart. Sami and I gasped in shock before we all fell out in laughter.

"So Aria, how much longer until the little one gets here?" Shyann asked as she gently touched my belly.

"About three months," I said. "It's a boy too…"

They gasped, "Awwwwweee,"

"Yep, just what I need…a little Mark running around." I said.

"And what's wrong with that?" Mark asked as he, Kane, and Shawn made their way into the living room to join us.

I smiled and glared at him as he took a seat on the other side of me. Shawn sat on the love seat next to Sami and Kane pulled Shyann onto his lap.

"I didn't say anything was wrong with it…but you alone are a handful." I said.

"Oh is that right?" he said.

I nodded, "Damn straight,"

"Well she won't be saying that after the little guy gets here." He said.

I rolled my eyes playfully and leaned in close to him. He wrapped his arm around my shoulder and gently rubbed my arm.

"You two are so cute." Sami said. "When are you planning the wedding?"

Mark smirked, "Actually I'm glad you brought that up…we're going to need a babysitter for a few days after the wedding."

I raised my eyebrow, "What? Why? I thought we were staying home for our honeymoon?"

He shook his head, "Nope…I've decided on going to Hawaii for a few days. We need a vacation from America."

I laughed, "Ok, say no more."

We all laughed before beginning to talk about Shyann and Kane's new relationship. I had to be honest I was happy to see Kane actually smile for once. He deserved a little happiness just as much as everyone else. As for me, I was getting extra credit in the form of becoming Mark's wife and the mother of his very first son.

THE END

**Readers: **I hope you all enjoyed this story! I may be posting the start of the sequal for Escape from the Deadly Estate tonight if I'm not too tired. Anyways thanks so much for all of your support! Keep up the great reading and reviewing =)


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